The Bird and Window
by ShiShi-theLION
Summary: Under Construction... (ahaha its been like 4 years... yeah, probably not finishing this one soon...SORRRY!)... well thats a lie I have a few new unposted chapters... . ehh I'll try...
1. Chapter 1

****I have no ownership of these characters although the idea for this story is mine and mine alone.****

"We have built empires, created civilization. Advanced in science, math, and documented history. We can move mountains, and reach their peaks. And today we make history. Today we change the course of human life."

_I was among the golden meadow that swayed like the waves in the ocean. In the center an oak. It was as tall as the mountains that were unreachably far in the distance, only making their presence known from a slight purple coloration in the always rising sun. The Tree. It was scared and twisted as if many generations of lions had come to sharpen their claws. It was full of life. And I would run to it and place my hands on the bark. The branches stretched out for what seemed like miles and the birds gathered here. Sometimes there were birds everywhere. All kinds. When I wasn't here I was at that lake that reflected the image of the mountains so perfectly one could have thought they were right beside the shore. The water was like cold air. Entering it was like being born again. _

"…We have changed the quality of human life, and today we have met a new milestone and created life, the essence of perfection, the perfect human." The man motioned to the presentation behind him. It displayed images of their scientific breakthrough. It contained information about complex chemical formulas and simplified information about the chemical makeup of DNA and RNA. The room was dark, the lights were dim and the stage where the scientists stood was illuminated with a blue hue from the projector. The slightly balding man with the light blonde hair and beard, one of four on stage, addressed the crowd once more. "Now we're not playing god," he chuckled, "but in these past twenty year we have identified every gene causing genetic mutation, and identified what makes us smart, what determines specific features: athleticism, artistic gifts, and so forth. We have eliminated every possible genetic mutation in the gene pool and selected the best traits from society and created a stronger, healthier human…" The doctor turned around to look at the projection on the screen. It was slowly clicking through images of the subject through stages of development. "No, we are not God. Life is a challenging thing to produce and while the subject goes through normal human development we cannot remove him from the tank until there is-…" There was a frantic beeping. A few murmurs from the crowd, the doctor presenting cast a wearily eye towards the red headed man who accompanied him on stage. His cheeks flushed and he pulled the pager out of his pocket and read the message snapping a wide eyed gaze from the devise back to the other. With a nod from the redhead the elder understood what was happening. He began to clap, "… brain activity…" the elder doctor smiled keeping eye contact with the other and then turned to the crowd eagerly, "Ladies and gentlemen this is my colleague Axel. He's going to deliver, in a sense, this prodigy who is eagerly awaiting life as we speak." Axel was already jogging down the aisle that divided the crowd of people who were now standing and clapping. The front doors of the auditorium were closer to the elevators. He had to make it from wing B on the ground level to wing A hall 2 on the third floor. The pale-bearded doctor on the stage chuckled and shook his head, "How curious."

_Little fish. Golden fish. They move so freely and carelessly, but always came to my call. I was at the edge of the water. The air was chilled and the outlines of the mountains were crisp in the mirror-like lake and the little fish, the gold ones, were swimming around my finger tips that I let lazily hang over the edge. It was like a game. I would swirl my finger as if stirring them and they would swim under and around, attaching their wide mouths on to the digit every now and then as if it was an enticing worm. Our game was disrupted._

Axel was going as fast as he could without breaking into a run, pushing the doors of wing 3C open. A blue eye nurse rushed towards him, apparently panicked and in desperate search of the read headed doctor, she caught up to his pace, "Are we delivering or studying?" She asked quickly holding her clipboard under her arm.

"Delivering, my pager went off in the middle of the presentation; our sponsors know that he is ready now."

Concern crossed her face, she looking at him the entire time, but the doctor simply kept his eyes focused ahead, destination close, "But doctor, It might be more beneficial for the subject if we keep him in that tank a while longer, see what's really going on mentally."

"There is no reason we can't check his brain functions beforehand, but there is no more funds. He needs to come out now, our sponsors won't keep paying." The doctor stopped in front of a closed door. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going straight in to serialize, have the nurses at the desk write me in." He said motioning to an idle doctor nearby, who nodded and left. He pushed into a white room where he began to wash his hands after pulling back his hair, netting it, and then putting on latex groves, a facemask, and lab coat. He then pushed open the door and entered into a room where the doctor on staff was already there running tests and stabilizing the subject for bringing him out of the tank.

"Doctor," a shorter blue haired assistant approached him. She handed him the file and he read over the new data. He glanced at it, and then back at the figure in the tank and smirked. "There has been an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, and the body has produced glycine…" the nurse said quietly with a light smile.

"Well what do ya' know." The doctor chuckled. "He's dreaming"

_A yellow bird watched from behind, bobbing his head and cocking it to the side. I turned to him and rose as he looked over his shoulder and flew off in a particular direction. The wind picked up, it was pulling me away from the water. I looked back, the fish still there watching. The purple of the mountains and the oncoming twilight was crisper, something was happening._

"We need a nurse to get a blanket for when we pull him out," Axel barked as he swiftly moved to the computer that operated the tank. It was like a makeshift womb. First he needed to check the subject to make sure he was stable. Next was to stop the flow of nutrients in the synthetic umbilical cord. It was risky. The operation had to be done quickly. Once the umbilical cord stopped preforming the subject would be temporarily out of oxygen and there was a chance of brain damage if left in too long. It began to shut down "We're ready to go in five, four, three- !"

_I had to move forward, so I followed the wind. I knew where I was going. Through the forest, around each tree, I had to run it was getting dark. I emerged through the trees and I could see it. I had been here many times. The sun was about to be out of sight. The sky to the east was a light blue and ahead was an array of warm colors._

"Two!"

_ I began walking through the golden sea of wheat colored grasses. It went on for what seem like forever and centered in it was the tree. I had been here many times before. Twisted bark, scared as if many generations of lions had come to sharpen their claws. I approached him. I was ready. The tree seemed taller than normal, the branches were swaying, and the whole world was coming alive with movement._

"One!"

_I placed my hand onto the bark, and opened my eyes_.

The shrill beep of the machine was all that could be heard. The Doctor sprang from his seat, the complete and sudden stop of vital oxygen and nutrient cause the subject in the tank to awaken. The doctor had to quickly remove it. It was trashing and convulsing madly. The other doctor in the room was stationed at one of the many machines that measured vital signs and other various bodily functions. He was calling out each stat, hastening Axel pace. There really was no proper way to go about doing this. The doctor grabbed a scalpel on his way towards the tank and impaled the thick plastic on the surface and ran it down along the length of the false womb. The warm sticky amniotic fluid gushed from the sac like blood from a wound. "Nurse," the red-haired Doctor called. A nurse with a blanket stepped forward. The tank's drainage system started and the convulsing figure lay at the bottom. Axel reached in and pulled him out, smacking him much like a doctor would to a new born baby and forcing the subject to gasp in his first breath. The rush of air into his lungs and across his virgin vocal cords created a whining sound, much like an infant. The subject was handed off to a nurse who held him like a mother would to her child, the umbilical cord was cut.

҉

A week had passed. The subject was nothing more than an infant. His slender body tucked in fetal position in a crib. It wasn't until the end of the week that he shown activity. Mezorizing everyone with the opening of his eyes. It was all up from there and in a matter of days he was out of the crib and interacting with his environment. Doctor Ansem had been called away for both media work and to hold more presentations in hopes to rally more support for his facility and project. It was now that he was able see the fruits of his labor for the first was looking inthrough at glass at a makeshift nursery. The subject was making use of the toys scattered across the floor, Axel came up beside him. "The media was very pleased with how that turned out, it has made headlines again." The elder doctor said handing over a paper to the redheaded doctor who was looking through the door window into a makeshift nursery where the fifteen year old figure was playing on the floor with a toy donated by one of the nurses. Axel turned his attention from window to the paper where an image of Axel rushing down the aisle was large on the front page, headlines reading: _God Answers the Prayer of Success for Multi-Billion Dollar Experiment? _He chuckled and took the paper from the grinning elder. _During a press conference on the progress of their latest experiment an important call was made to the assistant on scene that as they spoke the 'super baby' was ready to enter the world… _Ansem smirked, "You're popular."

Axel rolled his eyes and huffed, "how many times do we have to tell the public that this is not a child?" He received no answer from the elder who was watching the boy in the room, smirking as he gave the nurses a blank doe-eyed stare. He was blonde with blue eyes the expected combination for the perfect human.

"I suppose they will continue on with the assumptions until they snap a picture of him." The doctor turned to his colleague and stroked his beard in thought, "I would imagine the public would feel much more comfortable with the idea of an artificially made infant, than a teenager. It's scary to think that we have been brewing him for years. Much easier to turn this work of science into a simple designer baby, don't you think?"

"Well…" Axel rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Yeah, I guess it is for the better but-… Hey! Ansem, where are you going?" The elder doctor was already turning away.

"It will keep the people at bay for now. Finish up the tests on him, I'll be back in an hour or so." He called back as he walked briskly away from the other. Axel watched and then sighed. He looked back into the room containing the result of the project he had been learning about and working on for the past 16 years.

"Doctor?" A younger nurse poked her head out of the door, "We are ready for you now." Axel nodded and she stepped aside and let him enter. The subject was sitting on the floor playing with an array of different colored blocks and shapes; it was like watching a two year old.

"How long has the subject been interacting with its environment like this?" Axel watched as the blue star was shoved into its matching cut out hole and a playful bell sounded. The nurse was flipping through her papers and began to read the notes.

"Subject fell asleep at 11:23 yesterday. Subject woke up at 8:45 this morning. Subject saw rapid increase in gross motor skills. Subject begins to make sounds and mimic the people around him."

"Hold on a minute…" the doctor was watching the boy on the floor. He in return was watching the doctor and trying to push himself up off the floor, then falling suddenly. He repeated it again and again watching the doctor watch him. He then stopped and sat there keeping eye contact. "Nurse, get one of the Psychologists to come in and preform an IQ test on him. I want them to use the Bayley scales of infant development on him. His development is off the charts, I'm impressed."

"Well that would be expected he has a fully developed fifteen year old brain."

"Yes but what he has learned in a matter of hours still should have taken years, get a Psychologist in here." Axel got down onto the floor with him. He grabbed his chart and began to examine the subject. Blonde hair, blue eyes, two eyes, a nose, all ten toes and finger… a hand reached for him and grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled, Axel startled and winced. He quickly raised his eyes from the paper to what was in front of him. The blue eyes of the younger figure scanned him as if he was reading Axel like an open book, stopping at his eyes and probing his mind. Axel was stunned by the confrontation of the memorizing Prussian blue and even more by the fact they glared at him. Clearly stating: _I am NOT a child_. The nurse and Psychologist entered and began their tests.

҉

"He's incredible. The way he looked at me was definitely not the way a child looks at someone. There is more going on in his brain than we can imagine and I truly believe that the schedule Doctor Xemnas put in place for him is under the boy's abilities. I can't say for sure so I had Even come in and perform an IQ test with him. In the mean time I would like time to prepare a schedule and present it. I believe that if we get him into physical therapy have a speech pathologist come in we will get him walking and talking in a matter of days."

"I think you will find that your assumptions about the subject's development are spot on and I fully agree with your decision to prepare a more advanced schedule for him. But I would like you to still consult with Xemnas. He too has a lot of good ideas and together I think you two can produce the right plan."

Axel smiled and leaned forward onto Ansem's desk. "There is another thing I would like to run by you."

Ansem was looking through one of the various files on his desk. Multitasking being one of his skills. "And what is that Axel?"

"I would like to create an environment for the boy to grow up in. Like a home in the facility, a room that is his very own with his own section of the hall. It's just that sometimes…" Axel paused; the elder doctor looked up at him from across the desk with a slight expression of concern. "He needs his own space that he can grow in and retreat to when the going gets rough. And area for peace is important for human development." The elder man leaned back in his leather chair and stroked his beard. It would sure cost the facility a bit of money to construct an area just for the subject the mental benefits he would receive would be worth it. Ansem nodded allowing Axel to sigh in relief. "It's just something that the programs have previously lacked, and I really find it to be necessary." The elder nodded again.

"I want you to determine the location for the subject and present the plans to me by tonight Axel. I need to hire a contractor to adjust where ever we put him. I also want a perfectly polished plan on my desk by eight tonight. I would like to hold a conference with the staff of this project tomorrow. I also forgot to mention that I have assigned nurses solely to this project. You know Aerith, Xion, and Aqua right?" Axel nodded, how he could not know them? The elder slid a piece of paper with their numbers on it. "Just in case you ever need them here is their contact information, and for now I have ordered a nurse to always be with him. But never the same nurse for more than three hours. We don't want their maternal instincts kicking in now." Ansem chuckled; he always worried about staff growing attached to projects. All in all the man was hypocritical since in the past he himself grew close to one particular project… "Good, now I look forward to seeing the results doctor. I will inform Xemnas that you will be compromising with him on a plan. I suggest you take the time to have most of it organized before taking it to him." Axel began to collect his things, nodding at what was being said, and then exiting the room. He needed to go back home if he wanted to think clearly. Axel had a home office rather than a personal one in the facility. He took the elevator back down to the ground floor and took hall B back out to the lobby where he signed out with the blonde woman at the desk. He went out to the private section of the parking lot and pulled out on to the busy road. Lucky for him the facility was right on the edge of the flourishing city allowing him to ease into the chaos of traffic, which depending on the condition would allow him to be home in fifteen minutes to a half an hour. But this was New York City, the big apple, and the government had only made a few amendments to traffic regulation. The largest impact New York saw in the past forty years was the introduction of the pods. They kept the traffic on ground light for the most part. Most people boarded the subways and pods, although platforms seemed like a hassle. They could only take you from building to building. A platform in the museum, one in a corporate building, shopping buildings, and condo complexes, if one needed to go home they would have to get a taxi or board the subway. Luckily traffic was pretty normal, it was a Sunday after all, and in minutes he was pulling up to a white brick tea shop that sparkled in the afternoon sun. He parked his car outside the establishment and walked in through the French doors. There were a few customers at the glass tables chatting, and a red headed girl in an apron serving them tea. She glanced up at him as he came in, smiled and waved.

"Hey there Axel. What are you doing back?"

"I needed to do a bit of planning for the project I'm on over at the facility," He said coolly, leaning on the counter.

"Oh that's nice. I hope you get it all finished," She chuckled, "Don't want the boss getting on your case." She came around the counter and leaned her whole upper body atop it, holding her head in her hands, and then letting out a sigh.

"Busy day?" Axel asked with a raise eyebrow.

"Incredibly slow day customer wise, but Riku is in the back replenishing the stock of peanut butter pie, Key lime pie, and lemon cookies."

Axel chuckled, "OH. Gottcha. Lots of shopping then?"

"You better believe it, "She laughed breathlessly. "I had to completely restock and reorganize the kitchen earlier because I put a knife out of place and he cut himself." He winced in response and she laughed again. "He was fine, but I wasn't, man did he chew me out. It doesn't help that he fired Pence too…"

"Really now?" Axel raised his eyebrows once again, "Why'd he do that?"

"Why do you think Axel? Riku put two and two together. When Pence worked food mysteriously disappeared. Didn't you see the help wanted sign in the window? I just hope he gets someone trust worthy. I can't do this all on my own" She sighed and flopped onto the counter, " and he doesn't need to be taken advantage of."

"I agree, if the facility didn't need me I would be down here in a heartbeat, but they do, which reminds me, "Alex stood back up and stretched, "I have a plan to write up so I'll catch you later Kai. Tell Riku I'm here and if he loves me he would bring me up some pie." He came around the counter as he said this and headed for the stairs.

"Don't be crazy, he'll make me bring it to you!" She chuckled as her voice became inaudible as Axel ascended the stairs. He came to a small platform were a beautiful evergreen door hung. He pulled out his keys, opened it, and went inside. The apartment opened right up into living area with tan walls and cherry hardwood floor. The apartment was neat and organized. It looked like it had been furnished by someone with expensive taste; it was a shock that two bachelors live here. There was a black leather sofa planted in the middle of the room facing the fire place with a flat screen mounted above it. The end tables were of the same kind of wood as the floor, a tiffany lamp and plants arranged on them with a bookcase along the wall behind the sofa and a set of beautiful glass French doors opening to a balcony to the right of it. The balcony over looked the crystal garden which was a garden of white sparkling granite gravel, trees that blossomed a delicate pink and white during the spring, a pond and patch of pine trees farther off. There were giant crystal rocks that had been airlifted from Africa about ten years ago that were in the center of the park, and smaller crystals were scattered throughout. In the winter the city hired people to hang crystal ordainments off the bare trees and decorated the buildings with white lights making the balcony view worth all the money in the world. To the left of the door was a black granite kitchen complete with a bar and stainless steel appliances. Axel walked past all of this and down a tiny hall to the back bedroom. It was technically the master bedroom, but Riku, his roommate gladly gave it up to allow Axel room for a home office. He had a desk and PC. His briefcase was stored underneath it. Axel picked up his briefcase sitting down into his chair and opening it. He shifted through the papers; pulling out the file on the subject's current schedule, reviewing it, and then leaning back to think of ways to improve it. The problem he saw with it was that it was very easy, and addressed dealing with the subject much like you would an infant for the next two years, and then cracking down on him and being very harsh allowing no room for creative development or growth as a person other than in knowledge. Axel felt it was very important for the subject to be able to intergrade in with the population if need ever be, thus felt developing social skill would be a primary focus at least in the beginning. For the next hour and a half Axel spent looking over school systems, looking into child development and considering the desires of the facility for the child and writing down everything he thought the subject would need to learn, organizing them in a schedule that was strict, yet still allow the subject to relax if he became to overwhelmed. He also spent time making calls to a Physical therapist and speech pathologist to hire. Axel was interrupted by a knock on the door. He swung around, startled by the intruder. His roommate, Riku, was standing in the door way holding a plate with some pie. "Jesus Riku, make some noise why don't you. I didn't even hear you coming." Axel said with a nervous chuckle.

"I did. I knocked." He responded matter-of-factly as he slowly and carefully walked over and placed a plate on the desk. He was blind in both eyes. He had congenital glaucoma; a rare genetic disorder that made it so fluid could not properly drain from his eyes, causing abnormally high pressure and leading to damage and possible blindness. In his case the condition was unknown and went untreated and he was blind because of it, but he had lived his whole life that way, and really didn't see it as a disadvantage. The only problem was that he couldn't tell the difference between a ten dollar bill and a one dollar bill, making it hard to run a business. But Riku trusted his employees, and Axel was always there for him. "How's it going?" The platinum haired man asked as he took a seat on the edge of the bed.

Axel who already was shoveling the pie down his throat, paused, "Well, it's going okay. I'm righting up a pretty much a life schedule for the kid we made at the facility."

"Tch, poor thing," Riku said rolling his eyes. Yes, he kept them open. It was natural and useful for displaying emotion. He turned his face away, some noise catching his attention.

"I sympathize with the kid. But it's okay, I talked to the boss and he is allowing the kid to have his own room and, well, wing of the facility."

"Oh really?" the other snapped, "About fucking time that man did something kind for someone other than himself." Axel winced and Riku abruptly got up. "Kairi needs me now, so I suppose I'll leave you to work."

"What? She does?" Axel was surprised. "How do you know?"

"I put a bell in downstairs for her to ring if she needs me, I tend to be all over the place and when I start baking I don't always hear customers come in."

"Well, I don't hear anything now."

The other chuckled as he headed to the door, guided by memory. "I see with my ears. You should know that. See you later Axel."

Axel leaned back in his seat, finishing off the rest of the pie as he stared out his bedroom window, which had the view of the street. He grabbed the paper he had been looking over his progress. It was pretty good but there needed to be a few changes. He still needed to find a location for the subject. Axel pulled out the floor plans of the entire facility. He looked through the floors stopping on the first one. It would be more convenient to place him here due to the café that sat in the lobby. It would be a pain to have to carry meals up and down stairs every day for the next twenty so years. Wing A had a section of the hall that extended out farther than any part of the building. It wasn't uniform with the rest of the facility, and only contained two offices and storage room. At the end of hall A2, before the hall opened up to a large area, was a stairwell to the right. Why not close off that section of the hall, gut the rooms and turn them into a bed room with a bathroom and gym? The unused section could serve as a recreation room where meals can be eaten and games can be played with staff. Axel highlighted this area and then checked his watch, four forty three. He hadn't yet received a message from Even so things must have been smooth. He needed to now present his plans to Doctor Xemnas. Axel collected his things and went across the city to the facility once more. Pulling into the parking lot of the white hill top building, he sat in the car and stared at it. This facility did more than experiment with DNA, it could help a couple with extreme disabilities make sure their children were healthy, it could help two men, or two women produce a biological child, it could help women with hysterectomies have something close to a pregnancy. This was the headquarters for the leading genetic facility in the world. Ansem stood at the top of all of this and Axel in his shadow helping lead one of the most revolutionary projects of the age. The sun cast an orange glow over the area, giving the white building a yellow gradient. Axel walked into the sleek lobby. "Will you have Even page me when he is finished with the subject, I will be in Xemnas' office." Axel asked the woman at the main desk as he signed in. She nodded and made a call as he began down the hall. He took the stairs to the third floor and proceeded to room 315 in Hall 3A2. He knocked on the door to the room, opening it slowly and finding the white haired man seated patiently at his desk.

"Ansem said you would be in to talk with me," Xemnas looked up from his work. "What do you have to show?" Axel came in, setting his brief case on the desk and opening it to remove the papers he had been working on. The man at the desk resembled someone of Arabic decent, with darkened skin and light brown eyes that sometime gleamed an amber color. His hair was a long silky white that hung over his shoulders, yet his face was young, skin firm, with a strong sharp jaw. He pushed his glasses up his nose and took the papers Axel handed from his brief case, reading over the information for a few moments in silence. "I like this idea," he said laying the facility floor plan down and tapping the highlighted area. "That always was a waste of space, it will be good to put it to use." He shifted to the schedule and began to look it over.

"I would like to get him into schooling as soon as possible. I met with him today. He is not an infant at all and I believe he will quickly pick up on language and walking, we need to be ready for that."

"But we weren't going to start that for about a year." Xemnas countered

"I am aware. But if the subject can move into it, why not start him soon then later. Ease him into it too. I feel like your program is far too strict and harsh. He's a boy and will need wiggle room in his schedule. We don't want to trap him into a life of learning and sleeping, there is more to life than that and he is the perfect _human_, not a robot or computer.

The elder nodded and looked through the information again. "The only change I would make would be in the terms of how do we get the subject to do what we want him to. He is human, and a teenager. There has to be some sort of punishment system." Axel winced

"Awe, you know I'll be no good at that." The elder chuckled at Axel's comment.

"True. I'll handle it then." Xemnas's leaned back as Axel gave a quick nod. Just then the pager in his pocket vibrated. He pulled it out and read a message from Even who was down the hall with the subject. "What is it Axel. Does Ansem need anything?"

"No, it's Even. He's done with the subject. I need to finish up the exam on him. I really didn't get very far with him earlier." Xemnas nodded. "I'll leave the papers with you. Make any changes you feel are suitable."

"There isn't much to correct, just some holes to fill." Axel grabbed his things waving as he left the man's office and headed down the hall.

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The blonde boy sat on the floor. He was growing quite bored with the idea of object permanence. Yes, he understood what the test was; he had heard the doctor explain it to the nurse. The man would give him a bear and then take it and put it behind his back. It was clearly behind his back. Was that supposed to be a mystery? And in all honesty the blonde was growing annoyed and beginning to dislike this man very much. He understood what people were saying to him and about him. They were always talking about him but he couldn't speak, which embarrassed him. He was afraid to make babbling noises to figure out how to form sounds and words because when trying it before one of the nurses laughed and called him cute. She even compared him to an infant, which he was not. Maybe when he got a moment to himself he could figure it all out. There was a knock at the door and the doctor paused for a moment and looking away from the boy. Axel was outside and a nurse went out to talk with him. In the moment of distraction the blond lunged forward and grabbed the bear from the psychologist and held onto if firmly so it would be taken away. The nurse and Axel stepped into the room. He handed her a clipboard with papers. "I want to be with him alone right now." The nurse nodded.

"Has anyone named him yet?"

"What?" Axel was a bit shocked with her question.

"He needs a name. Everyone needs one. So what's his?" Axel raised his eyebrows at this. He had over looked that. Name…name… how does one name an experiment. They couldn't just call him by a number or subject or 'it'. He was smart and he would catch on. "I've been calling him Roxas." The burnet nurse said softly. Axel turned his gaze back towards her and raised his eyebrows questioningly at her.

"Roxas?" The blonde on the floor looked up to the doctor who was paying no attention to him. "You have a thing for strange names, don't you?" The redhead answered with a chuckle.

"It's already caught on with the rest of the nursing staff, except Aqua of course. She keeps trying to call him Ven. But the boy needs a name Axel. You know it. So here it is, Roxas." The nurse smiled warmly at him. Axel, eyebrows still raised, looked down at the boy who was watching them and no longer cared about the test doctor Even was trying to perform. The Prussian blue caught Axel's green and it clicked, Roxas.

"Yeah, that's fine Aerith. I just need to inform Xemnas and Ansem about this." She smiled at him and wrote down on her clipboard the name of the subject, in pen. It was final. "Now if you two don't mind I need to fill out a basic health analysis of the-… For Roxas." Doctor Even, the man preforming the test, stood up abruptly.

"Good. It was rather foolish of you to have me preform such a test on him. He became very obviously bored and then refused to cooperate." Even huffed as he collected his things, "Just like a teenager I suppose." He left the room.

Nurse Aerith chuckled at that comment, "That man is always so bitter." Axel shook his head.

"Thanks for the help Aerith; I'll page you if I need you." She quickly collected her things and scurried out of their way, leaving the two alone. The room was a sterile white with a small light blue rug on the floor, a bed shoved against the wall. All together it took about six steps to get from one side of the room to the other but the team had not expected the subject to ever gain conciseness. They were unprepared. Roxas was nervous; his blue eyes darted up at the doctor then down at the floor continuing this pattern for a while. Axel was at the counter looking through the paperwork he had to fill out about the boy and what types of tests he would have to perform. He would be serving as the subject's primary doctor for checkups, blood work, and basic health. Anything more threatening than a cold would go to the medical team on staff and possibly even the hospital since the genetics facility only had specialized equipment. Axel wanted to avoid any blood work and invasive exams for today; those could be left to Xemnas. But sadly he realized that Roxas would need a variety of different boosters and vaccines to get him up to speed with modern health. It didn't help any that his immune system was more than likely similar to that of a baby's, weak. And unlike an infant he hadn't received antibodies from his mother while in the womb since he was never really in one. Axel turned to find the nervous Prussian eyes fixed upon him. It was truly heart wrenching and Axel softened and got down on to the floor, scooting towards him. "Hello," He said softly. "My name is Axel. I am your doctor." The blue eyes studied him from head to toe, showing no sign of comprehension. "Roxas?" the boy's attention was caught. "I need to do a check up and make sure you're healthy," again no response from the younger. In all honesty Axel wasn't sure why he was saying this. It was irrational to believe that a person who was only two days old could understand something complex like language, but the boy seemed like he was listening. Axel hung his head and chuckled at his attempt to communicate for a moment, then stood. He needed to get the boy onto the bed where it would be easier to perform tests. He reached down, grabbed the boy's hands and gently lifted him up, holding his arms above his head so he was putting only a little weight on his feet. In this sense he was just like an infant and was uncomfortable with the pressure of the cold floor pressed against his virgin feet, as well as the idea of being so high off the ground. Axel laughed at the clear discomfort in the boy's face. He was short and light weight. His body had not yet had the chance to develop toned muscles. He would be in need of physical therapy. Axel stepped back, pulling the boy forward in hopes he would take his first step. Roxas merely slid across the floor falling forward a bit but on the second step back Roxas lifted his foot and fell into a step, then another, another, and another. The back of Axel's leg bumped into the bed. He lifted the boy so his legs were dangling, kicking back and forth, and then set him on the edge of the bed. Axel walked to the other side of the room and grabbed his stethoscope and sphygmomanometer. He came back to the patient and put the stethoscope on, lifted the boy's shirt a bit and put the cold metal to his chest. He moved around and listened to his heart and lungs then pulled the boys shirt up a bit and moved it to his back. The boy shivered against the metal. He was uncomfortable and confused about what was going on. Axel finished what he was doing, removed his hands from the boy and recorded a few things onto his sheet, checking off boxes. Perfect. Everything sounded just how it should. He noticed the confusion in the boys face and chuckled. "Stethoscope," he stated handing it to the blonde. Roxas looked it over then his eyes went back to Axel. "It allows me to listen to your heart. Here, I'll show you…" Axel took the devise and lightly placed the plugs into the boy's ears. He gently grabbed the metal end of it and placed it under the boy's shirt over his heart. Roxas' face contracted in confusion. He looked up at the red-headed doctor questioningly. Roxas removed the piece from his shirt and reached forward placing it on Axel's chest. He was off so Axel gently slid his hand up so he could hear the heart better. The boy was still confused. The doctor chuckled and removed the stethoscope from Roxas' ears, "I will teach you more about that later." He lifted the sphygmomanometer from the floor opened the cuff and put it around the blonde's upper arm, making sure the velcro was snug. "This will be uncomfortable." Axel said. He put on the stethoscope, holding the metal end against the inside of the boys elbow, and began to pumped a few times listening to the blood flow. Once again health, Axel nodded and recorded the data putting both devises on the floor. He then gently pushed the blonde to lay him back on the bed and began to prod his fingers on the younger stomach checking to be sure every organ was where it should be and that nothing was amorally shaped. Normal once again, he wrote that down. There was nothing else for Axel to do at this moment. At some point a doctor would have to check his genitals but Axel really was uncomfortable doing that. He would leave that to Xemnas. "We are done for now Roxas." It was a bit odd feeling for him to be calling the subject by a name but both the boy and doctor had to get use to it. "I will be back to see you tomorrow." Axel started to peel back the blankets on the bed and lifted the boy so he could lie down and get under the covers. "Lay down now," Axel said, he gently pushed the boy down. Roxas was confused again, he lay in bed and watched the man collect his things and exit the room. As he stepped outside a woman came, looked inside at him, and then began to talk to the doctor. He was alone for the first time and the only sound was a soft ticking of the clock. He found it harder and harder to keep his eyes open and eventually fell asleep.

Axel walked down the hall. He was ready to present his plan to Ansem, and by now Xemnas should have been there discussing the schedule, what Axel had produced, and the changes he made. His watch read eight thirty seven, he was late and exhausted. Ansem's office was just up ahead. He turned into hall A and went three doors down, knocking gently and then opening the door. Xemnas sat in one of the black leather chairs in front of Ansem's desk. Ansem was playing idly with his beard watching the younger doctor step inside and take a seat next to his colleague. "Axel, how nice of you to join us, Doctor Xemnas was just telling me about the schedule and location you found for the subject's new environment."

Axel nodded taking a seat. "I was thinking about clearing out the offices in the end of hall A2 and giving him a room there. It's far enough from the lobby and the café is downstairs so the nurses won't have to carry food trays up and down. Another plus is that the facility's library is right there as well. Sure there are very important documents and files there but I think it would be beneficial to set up a mini area of the library for him. It can also serve as the location for primary learning in his literature, history, math, and science subjects. There will be an extra room in his portion of the hall that we can turn into a gym."

"As for keeping track of him and keeping him on task we will set up rewards and punishments for positive and negative behaviors. Going to unauthorized locations such as the lobby will bring about a punishment. Same goes for restricted sections of the library, he will only be allowed with written permission from a member of the staff" Xemnas stated calmly.

"Yes but how would you reward and punish him? Do you plan to give him personal possessions? Or are you going to take away a treat at meal time. I feel kind of bad, you know." Axel drooped at the suggestion.

"I imagine we could give him a selection of personal items, but educational items…" Ansem said stroking his beard. "A treat every now and then… and possibly free time, Axel do you have his schedule finished?"

Axel snapped to action, "Oh, um, yes I gave them to Xemnas to look over…" Xemnas was already leaned down and shifting through papers in his briefcase, pulling out on particular piece and handing it to Ansem. "Starting tomorrow I am having a speech pathologist and physical therapists come in and work with him. It's important to get him walking and talking as quick as possible. Until he can walk and speak properly we will be bringing h is meals to him. I have nurses lined up to feed him certain meals and aid in basic social skills. I'm not sure how long it will take for him to learn the basics but once that is done I have arranged a simple but flexible schedule." The schedule introduced four core classes History, Math, Science, and Literature that the subject was to study for three hours each morning from Monday to Thursday. The subjects that were not studied in the morning had hour time slots from 3 to 6. The program also included a daily physical education, and guidance period for the subject to reflect on the day and build character. Thursdays and Tuesdays replaced afternoon free time with art education. "The schedule is completely flexible and can be changed to fit the subject's needs." Axel paused, "Oh, and in addition his name is Roxas." He added sheepishly.

"You named the subject without consulting us?" Xemnas snapped in complete disbelief.

"Axel," Ansem shook his head, "I understand the reasoning but you should have consulted the rest of the team. We could have voted on it. Roxas is really an odd name," the doctor trailed off. It was funny to hear them express concerns for such a trivial thing.

"I understand but it really wasn't my doing. The nursing staff did it."

"Aerith," Ansem huffed looking off into the middle distance. "Should have known," he mumbled. "Ah, well good work today. I'll call in the doctors in offices in the end of hall A2 and have them pack up immediately and call in a crew to add a glass divider to that hall. Not to contain him," Ansem interjected as soon as Axel's mouth opened to say something, "but give him a sense of home." Xemnas nodded and took this as a cue to leave. Axel began collecting his things.

"So it's approved?"

"Yes, I am impressed Axel. You turned it out very quickly and it is good enough to put in place."

"Did you doubt my ability to take charge?" Axel asked playfully.

"Not really, but it's nice to see the work in action." Axel paused, he was a bit uncomfortable. "I want you to take off the morning. You will come in at eleven forty-five; I'll have Aerith follow your schedule exactly tomorrow. Xemnas and I will cover the staff meeting. And… you called Terra in right? As a physical therapist?"

"Wouldn't dream of anyone else," Axel chuckled, "He helps us out a lot I'm surprised he hasn't got a permanent job here sooner. But why am I getting the morning off?"

"I don't need you micro managing Terra's work. Besides you have earned it. When was your last day off anyways?" The men were quiet for a moment, then Ansem changed the subject. "As for the speech pathologist, I didn't recognize the name, why didn't you hire Joanne?"

"Sir, Joanne retired. Tifa studied under her and they worked together. Plus I got a good feeling from her; she was pretty cheerful, excited to help with a project like this. I'm pretty sure she would have done it for free. She also understands her responsibilities to record data on his learning process so I think we will be fine." The elder doctor nodded fiddling with his beard, thinking. "If you don't mind now Doctor, I will be leaving." Axel checked his watch, it was going on nine. The elder man waved his hand signaling that he could leave. Axel was about to close the door when he suddenly remembered Roxas' health file. "Oh. Ansem," he came back into the room and set the brief case on the desk, opening and pulling out the file. "I finished most of the tests. The boy needs his boosters and all his vaccinations. I did not check any of his sex organs either. I felt it would be to invasive for his first full day in the world." Ansem chuckled and nodded.

"Ah yes. Well we can have the shots done over the next couple days, and as for the tests… let's push those onto Xemnas." Axel smiled and nodded turning to take his leave again. He closed the door behind him, making his way down to the first floor and signing out in the lobby, making his way back home to a teashop in the crystal plaza of New York City.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there, thanks for reading guys, it means a lot. This chapter is shorter; it just worked out that way flow wise. But have no fear; the next is very, very long. I plan to post that next Monday.**

**Oh and I don't own these characters… save one… the speech Pathologist Joanne who was briefly mentioned in chapter one… yup… may she rest in peace**

_"And what am I suppose to do there?" I asked the fish. I was staring into the glassy water at them. They swam back and forth peering up at me, thinking. "Adapt. Adapt. Adapt," they whispered…_

Roxas woke up. The room was dark. There were no windows. He sat up and looked around. He was alone. It was time to move forward and practice speaking. He needed to be able to communicate with the others. He needed them to help him figure out what was going on. He opened his mouth and let sound fall out, "Ahhhh… muh… muh… he… hellwu…" He grabbed at his hair and pulled in frustration. This didn't sound right, not at all. How was he supposed to speak? He had no clue how to say the words and he really only knew a few things that he overheard enough to make the connection between the word and what it referred to. Roxas rolled over and grabbed onto his pillow, he began to cry for the first time. He wanted someone to help. But not a woman, they laughed at him. Just then Roxas heard a creek as the door slowly swung open and a nurse stepped in. It was the petite nurse with curly brown hair, Aerith. She turned on the lights and came over to him putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Wake up- Oh!" her face grew concerned and she brought a hand up to wipe away his tears. She kneeled next the bed. "Dear? What's wrong?" Remembering he couldn't speak, she lightly smiled at her blunder, getting up to sit on the edge of the bed and pulling him to her chest. The nurse began to hum softly, Roxas was confused again. He wasn't sure what she was doing, but he enjoyed it, tears quickly ceasing.

҉

"He was crying this morning," Aerith frowned at Xemnas, who turned his head and looked at the blonde. The boy was clumsily sitting at a table being taught how to hold a spoon. The black haired nurse was having a great time; he was mimicking her, never really getting the food into his mouth. And if it did get in the concept of chewing was something completely new. It was a mush of some sort sweetened by fruit, but the boy didn't seem to mind. He had never eaten before so he didn't know what he was missing. "I'm not sure why. I don't know if it's because he is not comfortable, or there is a physiological issue." She paused.

"Well, when I'm done with him, I can check."

"I just wanted to give you a warning, he might not be cooperative." There was a giggling from the other nurse, causing Aerith to smile, "Although he seems much better now."

The man nodded, "Well I would encourage you to stay. I just have to finish up a few exams that Axel left out. The dirty work so to speak."

She giggled, "Playing the bad guy once again?" He answered with a roll of his eyes and a short chuckle which sounded more like an abrupt huff. He remained standing at the counter and began pulling out his things from his bag and looking over the chart. "It looks like this will have to be broken up into a few different days." The brunette nurse frowned. It was most likely was going to be an unpleasant job. The nurse who had followed him in raised an eyebrow. "Booster shots," he informed her, she mouth and understanding 'Oh' and nodded. He continued shifting through his bag and pulled out a few vials. The boy was unsuspecting. He was sat on the edge of the bed with the black haired nurse helping him stay sat up, and keep his balance. Xemnas flicked the syringe, removing the air bubbles and gave him the first shot, which evoked a look of terror from the boy who moved away from the doctor after the procedure. The rest of the shots did not go over quite as smoothly at the first, but the task was done in about fifteen minutes leaving the blonde slightly misty eyed but unscathed, and the doctor with a feeling of guilt. He left the room cursing Axel.

҉

The alarm went off on Axel's bedside table, causing an automatic response from his arm to reach out and smack the source of the noise, bring the devise to a hush. Axel rolled over and groaned. He immediately stretched and yawned, turning his head so he could look at the time; eight thirty on the dot. "Damn," Axel hissed as another yawn overcame him. He rolled over to go back to sleep lying there, lying there, and then finally cussing and sitting up. It seemed that waking up for years at eight took its toll on a man's sleep cycle. He could no longer sleep in, thus turned and pushed himself out of bed. Shaking off the last remnants of sleep and continuing to the bathroom where he took a piss and began to run the water for a shower. When the water was warm he stepped in.

҉

A tall woman with the long black hair came over to the table and sat across from him. She took his right hand with hers and shook. "Hello Roxas. My name is Tifa. I am going to teach you how to talk." Roxas just gave her a blank expression, and then looked to his hand which she had just shaken curiously as if to say, 'what did you just do?' "I am told you're very smart. Can you understand what I am saying? If you can I want you to nod your head like this," she nodded her head up and down. Roxas watched her, he was embarrassed and nervous but he indeed knew what she said, for the most part, and gave her a slow sheepish nod. The reaction from her was completely unexpected. She was delighted and laughed very loudly, "Alright!" She exclaimed. "That makes my job easier." Roxas was confused but from her sudden joy he couldn't help but smile. She then bent over and received a stack of pictures from her bag she took the top one and set it in front of him it contained a picture of an odd symbol 'A' directly next to an 'a' with a picture of an apple under it. "Roxas I am going to start teaching you the alphabet. The Alphabet has all the letters in the English language that can make up sound." Roxas smiled; finally someone was going to teach him how to speak.

҉

"So we just sold the last of the peanut butter pie. We have about a dozen strawberry Danishes, five peach and a wild berry honey. There are five butter cream cakes in the display and for dounuts… we are only out of cream filled." Kairi stated going through her list of inventory. The tea shop had only been open for an hour and from listening to the inventory one would think it was a bakery. But through the years it had expanded into much more than just a tea shop. Sure they had a small selection of coffees and iced coffees, hot chocolate and smoothies; as well as a few types of sandwiches served around lunch time accompanied by an extensive bakery. Their prize menu was still the teas off to the right and listing about 100 different teas and ways they could serve them. Riku did this for a living. He loved preparing food, when his kitchen was organized correctly he could do everything by feel, smell, and memory. Sadly over the years he had only found one other person trustworthy enough and passionate enough about baking to share his business with, Kairi.

"Well then I will start with the pie. We are already through the morning rush and right around lunch I get a group who always asks for it…." Axel came down the stairs walking up behind the pair. "Axel" Riku said turning towards the direction he heard him, "Just in time. I need someone to work the counter for me, Kairi, you can help restock before the afternoon rush."

"Are you guys low on product?" Axel asked a bit surprised. Riku always made sure everything was in steady supply, taking a quarter off for every day older it got, and on the fourth it made its way up to Axel and his table.

"Yeah, I would be in good shape if that fat ass Pence hadn't eaten so much." Riku growled.

"Yeah I seriously didn't see him take all of this. He must have stuffed his pockets every time he went home." Kairi sighed. "What we need to someone trustworthy for once to hire."

"Well I'm heading out at eleven twenty so I can watch the counter for you." Axel shrugged. "If they ask for anything too hard I'll just call in Kairi." She nodded at him and Riku smiled as well heading into the kitchen. Axel took some money from his wallet and put it in the register taking a glazed dounut from the back wall, persevering through the last trickles of the morning rush. Around eleven fifteen Axel started to get around for work. He was about to call in to Riku to say that he had to go when the door opened and a short brunette boy came in. He had a paper in his hand and came up to the counter.

"Hello, I'm Sora Andrews. Do I give my work application to you?" Axel blinked

"Oh, uh, I don't work here… Riku!" Axel called, the brunette gave him a confused look, "You have a kid in here turning in an application!" Within minutes Riku and Kairi emerged from the kitchen and were out front with the boy and Axel.

Kairi was looking over the application and Riku had his eyes closed listening to the boys breathing, trying to get a feel for him just from his instincts. "How's he look Kai?" Riku asked. The boy's eyebrow rose at that.

"Short, big innocent eyes, young… pretty average but with a hint of cuteness," she shrugged.

"Good" Riku looked in the boy's general direction, "If you have time now we could interview you." Sora who was a little uncomfortable, nodded slowly.

"Quiet boy," Riku commented in a low voice, Kairi mumbled a 'yes' in response.

"Alright then," Kairi chirped to the brunet as she came around the counter and sat down at one of the tables, Riku following. "So tell us about yourself." She said casually. The boy joined them and began speaking. Axel looked to his watch realizing it was eleven twenty-five and he had no idea what condition the traffic was. He collected his things and went to his car, pulling into the busy street of the crystal plaza.

Axel took the long way to the stairs going down Hall A2 and coming to the end where a contracting team was gutting the rooms, knocking out the back wall to create a bigger room for a gym. The inhabitances of those offices had been moved to the second floor, so no harm was done. Axel began the climb to the third floor, signing in at the desk and began down the hall towards Roxas' room. There was a nurse and two people, an older male with spiky brown hair and a tall woman with long brown hair. Roxas was engaged in multi-tasking, Terra holding onto his hands as he tried to walk and Tifa was quizzing him on names of objects and people often holding something up and Roxas calling out the name with little to no need for correction. The nurse was busy taking down notes. Axel knocked on the door, gaining everyone's attention and causing Roxas to trip and fall into Terra.

"I see we have made progress." Axel said looking rather impressed at the whole situation.

"Yes." Roxas responded eagerly shaking his head.

Tifa laughed at the boy. "His speaking has improved in leaps and bounds. But there are grammar issues to tweak. I'm sure that literature classes will help though."

"And his walking is still a bit rough but we are improving every second." Terra stood the boy up and removed his hands forcing him to balance and support himself. Roxas was nervous at first but grew confident. He looked like a child at Christmas, eyes bright, big smile, eager and cheerful for everything and everyone.

"Constant improvement." Axel grinned. "I'm sorry I interrupted you guys, I was just curious to see what was happening. Continue on please, I should probably go talk to the boss anyways." The other doctors nodded as he left the room. He was impressed by the growth in Roxas' performance and was interested to see how he took to more abstract things when the real learning began. He approached Ansem's office and quietly came in.

"Axel?" Ansem glanced up from his paper work. "Ah yes, just who I needed to see. Have a seat," The elder man motioned to the chair. "The meeting went brilliantly. Everyone is taken to the idea of letting Roxas have a home in the facility. We had professors attend the meeting and few old friends of mine volunteered to be his teachers. When you have the time you should become acquainted with them." The elder man chuckled, "In the meantime fill out these forms," Ansem slid a stack of papers towards Axel. "I was going to do them but since you're here why not have you do it."

"Wha- But Ansem?" Axel abruptly stood up.

"Aha! Speechless again Axel. I'm so glad you are excited to work and help out others!" Ansem teased, "Besides I have yet to see the boy since when he was in the tank. I would like a few words with him. So go ahead and make yourself at home in here" Axel sighed and nodded.

҉

Roxas was exhausted. He had been trying to walk all day and his thin legs were sore. "I think you have had enough." Terra said patting him on the shoulder. Roxas had took a seat on the floor leaned against the bed. "Just continue stretching your legs Roxas, or you will be sore tomorrow."

"Thank you Terra." Roxas immediately began to stretch. Tifa came and sat next to him. The boy couldn't exactly read yet. His speech sounded good except for the fact that it was still restricted to simple words for the most part.

"Just sit back and relax for a bit Roxas. I'm going to read to you. I just want you to listen to the sounds." Roxas nodded and leaned back against the bed, listening. It was a simple story about a cat wearing some hat. The door creaked as it opened; someone was always coming in or out. Roxas looked up to see a man he had never seen before. Today was a day for new people and experiences.

"Miss Tifa?" The woman had become quite. He looked towards her and noticed a pale man with facial hair that was just as pale as his skin in the room. Tifa had gotten to her feet and shook hands with the man, his gaze fell on the blonde.

"Roxas," He said softly extending his hand for a hand shake. Roxas used the bed to help push himself up off the floor and then turned to face the elder man on wobbly legs, taking his hand and letting it be shaken. "If you don't mind ma'am I would like to speak with Roxas alone right now." The woman nodded and left the room.

"I'll see you later Roxas." She waved and exited.

The elder's attention was on Roxas, eyes traveling up and down his body in an examining and critical gaze. It was unnerving and uncomfortable but the elder man wasn't threatening. "You can sit down if you want." The man got down on the floor, and Roxas unsteadily followed suit. "My name is Ansem. I am a doctor. Do you know what doctors are Roxas?" Roxas silently shook his head 'no'. "There are two kinds of doctors. There are doctors who fix people when they are sick or hurt, and there are doctors who study the world around them and discover new things for science. I am the second kind of doctor." Roxas nodded but couldn't hide the confusion on his face. "Do you know where you are Roxas?" The boy looked around. And then paused, it clicked; he had no clue where he was. Ansem chuckled at the boy's sudden realization. "This building you are in is called the International Research Center for Genetic Experimentation. Genes are pieces of…" He thought about how he was going to word this, "Information that make a person and Genetics is the term we use to classify the research on genes." He gave that a moment to sink in. Roxas was desperately confused. "Do you know how old you are? By that I mean do you know how long you have been alive?" The boy shook his head no once again. The man was asking a lot of questions and it dawned on Roxas for the first time that he didn't know what was going on. "Technically you have been in this world of ten days. But your body had been in this world for about five thousand four hundred and eighty eight days, roughly. That makes you fifteen years old. Roxas... I am the head doctor of this facility. That means I have the power to make people in this building do what I want because they work for me. I began a project about thirty years ago to create a human without any genetic flaws. And do you know what happened?" Ansem asked. Roxas shook his head no once more, and the doctor chuckled. "I failed. Messed up, and wasted a lot of money. But I didn't stop, you see. I began to think about genetics and how to create the perfect human. I wanted them to be perfect in every way: appearance, in their physical fitness, and ability to learn and apply new knowledge. So I began to collect DNA, I'll tell you what DNA is when you are older, but then I combined the DNA and took out the traits that I wanted you to have. I had to identify different parts of the DNA and I messed up… a lot. But then my research team and I decided to splice the DNA together, which took a lot of time and money but it worked. We planted the DNA in to an egg and let the egg grow in an artificial womb. That's when you were created." The elder man paused briefly and stared at the blonde in front of him. Roxas could see in his eyes that he was reflecting upon something, his mind was miles away. "Roxas… you are the perfect human. I expect great things from you Roxas. Your success in life directly reflects my success in this project, and I believe we are going to be a very successful team." Ansem stood up slowly and then bent over to ruffle the boy's hair. "I'll be seeing you." Ansem turned and left the room, leaving Roxas alone and confused for a moment until a nurse came in with a tray of food.


	3. Chapter 3

**So I forget to mention that this is a story I wrote for Nanorimo, and I hope to finish before July and get five free publishes, because I made my 50,000 in a month goal… anyways. I made a reference to **_**The Little Mermaid**_**, it would be good to note that this is the Hans Christian Anderson version and not the Disney version since I plan to tie it in later I the story. **

**Also none of these are my characters save that speech pathologist Joanne, and the unnamed black haired doctor in this chapter…**

The day was lost. Axel was doing Ansem's paper work well into the night and finally packed to return home around ten. He took the long way to the stairs, passing Roxas' room to check in on him. He was sleeping with his back to the door. Axel continued on, signing out at the desk before leaving the facility and returning home. The tea shop was closed, it usually closed down around eight but inside they were powering through their nightly baking session. Riku heard him come in and yelled a 'hello' from the kitchen which was still neat and clean after baking all day. Axel continued upstairs taking his bags to his room and then coming back out to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and examined its contents. There were a few different types of leftover sandwiches from the shop, and pastries. Also some chicken leftover form Axel's lunch a week ago and an assortment of different vegetables in the lower drawer .He took out a chicken sandwich, checking the cheese for any mold, and then proceeded to grab the milk jug, open it and take a few chugs.

"You know I hate it when you do that." Axel choked on the liquid, setting it down guiltily on the counter as Riku came into the kitchen.

"Jesus, Riku!"Axel coughed, "Make some noise why don't you. You really need to stop sneaking up on people like that."

"Learn not to sound like a pig when you eat and maybe you could have gotten away with it." Riku chuckled as he took a seat at one of the bar stools on the other side of the counter. He picked a pastry from the plate in front of him, smelling it in order to identify the type, and took a bite.

Axel relaxed against the counter watching the other. "How did the interview go?"

"With that boy?"Riku questioned, Axel nodded forgetting about the others vision impairment. Riku thought about it. "He seemed alright, a bit shy, not overly bright, but a nice kid."

"Kid? How old is he?"

"Nineteen I guess. He graduated from some school culinary program so he's certified to serve food." Riku shrugged. "I needed another hand in the kitchen anyways; I just hope he is trust worthy."

"People are mostly good." Axel reassured.

Riku shook his head and scoffed, "Who'd you hear that one from? That boss of yours?"

"Read it in a text book somewhere," Axel smiled, laughing a little. Riku had been a bit sour lately. It was probably due to the projects going on up at the facility. He didn't agree with them, something along the lines of, if the doctors had done a genetic screening of his mother during her pregnancy he wouldn't be alive right now, Axel understood and sympathized.

"Sora's fine. He seems nice enough. The real test will be when he starts working. He begins this Wednesday."

Axel took a bite of his sandwich and the two stayed there quietly eating. Axel was looking off into space thinking and then an evil grin spread across his face as he looked back towards Riku, "Hey Riku," the man's attention was caught, "That Sora kid, or whatever his name was… he was kinda cute." Axel took another bite of his sandwich waiting for the others reaction.

Riku simply turned his head with a scowl, but he couldn't hide the slight rosy color that came to his cheeks. "I guess I'll have to take your word for it." He responded dully.

"Mhm. Brown hair, not too tall, thin, blue eyes, and a tight a-…"

"Axel!" The red head couldn't keep back his laughs and Riku too joined in, "You're an asshole." He rolled his eyes and leaned back in the chair.

"Seriously though, when's the last time you got laid?" Axel asked teasingly.

"I don't know. I'd imagine it was about the same time you got laid."

"My point exactly! Now you have some hot ass brunette kid, and the bedroom's only upstairs," Axel wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Riku huffed, "You're ridiculous," He laughed breathlessly. "He's an employee, that's a little inappropriate don't you think?"

"Nah!" Axel waved it off.

"Besides," Riku got up from the stool and walked around the counter, leaning against it. "Why are you so worried about my sex life? Don't you have your own to create?" Burn. Axel laughed at this. It was sadly true that the two of them hadn't got laid since… well that one desperate night. "And aren't you working with that _perfect _human up in the facility? I bet he's pretty good looking too."

'Wha- Riku! You say _I'm_ inappropriate?" It was times like this that Axel was glad that Riku couldn't see, being caught off guard with the question Axel found it difficult to force back the blush that had risen to his cheeks.

"Oh my god? Really Axel?" The silver haired man burst out laughing. "You think he's hot, don't you?"

"No," Axel replied with a tone as serious as he could manage.

"Awe, you know you can't lie to me Axel, I can hear it in your voice." Riku walked up to him and clasped a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry lover boy, what daddy Ansem doesn't know won't hurt him, right?" Axel was rendered speechless. His mouth hung open as he tried to form words. There was no way he would let Riku win, the accusation was ridiculous. Sure Axel though he was cute, but Roxas is a project! There is no relationship between them other than doctor and subject; at most they could be friends. So if that was the case, why was he blushing? Axel groaned and let his head fall on the counter. It had surely been a while and Axel couldn't lie about the mild sexual frustration he was undergoing. But his work was his first passion, which he separated from his love life. Riku seemed to almost taste the confusion that had overcame Axel, he loved it. "Anyways Axel," he let out a fake yawn and stretched, "I need to get to bed. I would love to stand here and bask in the joy that is your confusion but it was a busy day. You should probably get some beauty sleep as well." He turned and continued down the hall yelling a 'goodnight' before entering the room and leaving Axel to his thoughts. He finished his sandwich and took another drink from the milk jug just despite Riku, hoping he backwashed so when Riku drank some in the morning there would be a big chunk of food. Axel headed to his bedroom shortly after, getting under the covers and closing his eyes only to see the familiar blonde and mesmerizing Prussian eyes. God damn you Riku.

҉

_The sound of waves breaking against rock. The wind came swooping in over me. I opened my eyes. I had never been here before, perched perfectly balanced on a cliff looking down at the foamy water beating relentlessly over rocks worn smooth. I looked behind me at the familiar sight of the oak tree firmly rooted in the swaying field of golden blades. The water's crashes pounded the earth. I quickly jumped back from my teetering ledge. Realizing my position I quickly fled to the oak tree and clung to it like a child clinging to a mother's skirt. The wind ruffled the golden grasses, and I cried. _

It was a great morning. Around six forty Roxas woke up in a very chipper mood, sitting up and hinging his feet over the edge of the bed. He wanted to walk around and surprise the nurses. They would be ecstatic with his progress, yet a nervous feeling crept into his gut. Roxas knew he could fall, although he hadn't yet, due to Terra constantly holding his hands, but he was craving to do something independently. The bottoms of his socked feet pressed against the floor and he used his arms to push himself up a bit, growing more confident and eventually standing. His legs were sore. Terra had told him he needed to build muscle and if he walked every day that would happen naturally, but until then his legs would ache. That really wasn't the problem thought. What worried Roxas the most was balancing, it was a whole other obstacle. He stood on wobbly legs and watched his feet, desperately trying to remember what Terra explained. Up and forward with one and then up and forward with the other once the first foot is placed on the floor. Then repeat without too much hesitation. With practice it would become second nature and there would be no thought involved, but that didn't apply to right now. He was at it for a while, making it to one side of the room and then attempting to get back to the bed. He began to take more confident, although concentrated, steps. Roxas' back was to the door and he was only a couple steps from the bed when his door swung open and a male voice exclaimed "Holy shit, you're walking?" Roxas swung around towards the source of the voice in surprise, catching himself off guard and completely demolishing his balance. He came crashing to the floor. There was a cuss from the other person. Roxas lifted himself up, whipping his sore nose on his sleeve. The man was by his side in an instant helping him sit up. There was a red smudge on his white sleeve, Roxas inspected it curiously as another drop fell and soiled it.

"Are you okay?" the doctor asked leaning in to check. Prussian blue met the electrifying green, Roxas blinked a bit in surprise. "Jesus," Axel took a tissue from his pocket and whipped his bloody nose. "Guess you really took a fall, didn't you?" Axel asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah… you… scared me." Roxas answered slowly, carefully choosing each word. He took the tissue and held it to his nose. Pulling it away and looking at what was there. "What's this… red stuff," he shot a confused look towards the doctor.

"Blood. Your body is full of it. You will learn more about it later but as for right now just know that it means your hurt." Axel smiled kindly at him, it was a foreign concept for someone to know so little about their body but then again it was only his eleventh day of life.

"It does hurt." Roxas slowly got up, standing wobbly, nervous of falling again. He hesitantly brushed himself off. "Who are you?"

Axel was a little taken aback from the boy's lack of memory, but he decided it was probably due to the fact that the past couple days had been very busy for him. "Axel. I am your primary doctor."

"What kind of doctor? There are doctors that fix people and doctors that discover new things… which are you?" Roxas had made his way over to the bed and was now sitting, waiting patiently for his answer.

"Well I suppose I would be both." The question had surprised him. "If you are ever sad, or sick, just come to me and I will help you. You see I can also help fix people when they are very sad too." The younger smiled at that. There was an awkward silence and Axel and Roxas just stared at each other, although from the look on the blonde's face there was no doubt that he was thinking more than looking. "Well…" Axel started, it was a bit nerve wrecking in the teen's sharp gaze. It felt like he was being ripped apart by the stare. "I'll go tell the nurses that you are awake. That way you can begin working, alright?" There was no response; Roxas' eyes had shifted downward. Axel was curious about the downtrodden expression that he had never seen from the boy. "Hey, Roxas, are you okay?"

"I have a question."

"Yeah, you can ask me anything."

"What is perfect?"

Axel's brow creased momentarily in thought. It was indeed an odd question, but he planned to accurately answer. "Perfect is an adjective." Roxas shot him a confused look. "It's used to describe people or things that never make mistakes in anything… it's a more subjective concept thought…"

"Are you perfect?"

Axel let out a chuckle, "Yeah right. I wish I was. I wouldn't have to work here anymore!" He gave Roxas a soft smile, "I'm far from perfect. But I'm only human."

Roxas was confused and felt a bit awkward. He cast his eyes down. "Doctor Ansem said I'm perfect… Does that mean I'm not human?" Axel bit his lip and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You're human Roxas. It's impossible to be perfect all the time. He meant that you are genetically perfect. The closest thing to perfect…" The words sounded wrong to Axel, but he wasn't sure what to tell the boy.

Roxas nodded. "So why didn't they make you perfect?"

"What do you mean?" Axel cocked his head, furrowing his brow.

"Doctor Ansem said he made me perfect. Why didn't he make you perfect too?" Axel pursed his lips; he wasn't sure what to tell the blonde. With the lack of an answer Roxas posed another question. "Are there other perfect people?" Roxas' Prussian blue eyes searched Axel's green for the answer.

"No. No one is perfect, Roxas."

His gaze returned to the floor. "Does that mean I'm different?"

"More like one of a kind."

"But why?"

Axel wasn't sure what to tell him without explaining it in a way that the boy would struggle to comprehend, and as awkward as it was, the birds and bees topic was coming and there was no way around it. Axel mentally kicked himself cursing whatever devises of fate that had put him in this was waiting still. "Well Roxas, that's hard to explain. I'm not sure you would understand it just yet."

"Oh no, I'll understand," The blonde responded looking up at the redhead with a smile.

"Alright then," Axel rubbed that back of his neck nervously, "Well you know that you were made by Doctor Ansem right?" Roxas nodded his head. "Good, and you know that he made you from multiple DNA strands?"

"He said he pick out the ones he wanted for me and put them together…"

Axel gave him a small smile, "Well I'm glad you understand. You see normal people are made when a boy and a girl have… sex. Not by Doctor Ansem…"

"Sex? What's sex?" Roxas cut in, cocking his head to the side much like a puppy.

"You'll know when you're older," Axel said quickly, the younger tried to cut in but Axel quickly began his explanation. "You see people are created biologically from two other people and carried for nine months in a female's… tummy."

Roxas' eyes widened, "Really?"

"Uh, sort of… Anyways, you were not created that way. In a lab Doctor Ansem, myself and other doctors built a false womb and took the DNA from other people, isolated and combined the traits we wanted you to have, and put them in an egg. Basically we took many strands of DNA, combined them into one and stuck it in an egg which is essentially cloning."

"And other people aren't made that way?"

"No, you are the first person to be created like that. You see, you were the first completely controlled human. In natural creation the genes carried in sperm and eggs decide the traits of the new human, and it is completely limited to the genes of the parents. In the past we have been able to select genes and create what are called designer babies. And a few times we have experimented with isolating and combining genes from different sperm and eggs to create people. What sets your project apart is that with isolating parts of DNA we can pick out the traits that make someone smart, or artistic. We can completely select the desired traits, splice them together, and make a solid strand of DNA that when placed into an egg grows into a human. DNA contains all the information about you, such as height, hair color, and more complex things. It's like the recipe for a person. Do you understand?"

"Um… not completely." Roxas admitted with a shrug.

Axel smiled at him. "Well there is more to the explanation, should I continue?" Roxas nodded. "A person takes nine months to develop. We grew you in an artificial womb and in nine months you were a fully developed infant, but unlike most infants you were a vegetable, meaning your body was healthy and functioned properly but there was no activity in your brain. Strangely we couldn't find the reason for it… Anyways, we couldn't terminate your project due to our sponsors funding and considering the amount of money it took to make you, trashing you would have been stupid. Instead we kept you and started looking into the project data and checked for any mistakes or genes we didn't catch. We couldn't find anything. Last Saturday, that was about five days ago, you began to dream, which is brain activity. We pulled you from that tank as soon as possible. It took about a week for you to come around, and now here you are."

"Wait, you would have cut my program? What does that mean?"

"It means you would be dead right now."

"Dead?"

"Um… You wouldn't be living anymore… it's sort of an abstract concept. You will understand it later." Roxas nodded. "Anyways!" Axel got up and stretched, and then nonchalantly extended his hand towards the other for a hand shake, "Welcome to the world Roxas. I am Axel and I will be you guiding hand and mentor, your friend and confidant," he shot Roxas a wolf-like grin.

Roxas smiled and shook his hand. "It's nice to be here?" He laughed as Axel gave him a cool questioning look that asked _'Really now?'_ And Roxas shook his hand harder, "It's very nice to be here."

"Well that's great!" Axel exclaimed hands going to the air with enthusiasm. Axel pitied the boy. He had not experienced childhood and was abruptly thrust into his teenage years. Axel was only twenty one, and understood how confusing these years could be especially in Roxas' position. Besides Roxas had been born into the age of discovering himself in addition to his raging hormones, it would probably make for some crazy midnight conversations with Riku.

Roxas got up from the bed nervously walking over to the red head. "So, what's going on today?"

"Do you think you are ready to move on in education? Drop the speech and start with more complex things?"

Roxas shrugged. "I guess so, what's there to learn?"

"Roxas, you have a whole world to learn about." The red head smiled. "If you wait here I'll go talk to the boss about getting you into classes and…" Axel looked at his pager's clock, "…the nurse will be in with breakfast soon."

"Yeah I wouldn't mind. It gets kind of frustrating not being able to understand what people are referring to all the time." He frowned.

"Yeah, I can imagine," Axel laughed, "You've been dealt a rough hand, but I'm sure you can get through, plus I'm always here as well as the nurses." Axel's hand clasped on the door handle and was about to push it open when he hear a soft peep from Roxas. "What did you say?" He turned back around.

"I asked… where you were going. Everyone comes in and out of the room… but what's out there?" Axel paused.

"…You'll find out soon."

Roxas nodded again and Axel took his cue to leave. Roxas got on the floor. He was pretty sore and was going to do some of the stretching exercises Terra had talked about. He extended his legs and tried to grab his toes. There were a lot of thoughts bouncing around in his head, mainly concerning what was happening and where he was. He closed his eyes and laid his head down against his leg getting into the stretch. In all honesty Roxas wanted Axel to come back into the room. He really didn't know the man very well but he was bored and a bit lonely. Then an idea came to him. Axel had said he would find out what was outside soon, but that didn't mean he couldn't go. He didn't need them to help him; in fact they would probably be proud of him if he were to go it alone. Roxas got up and walked to the door. It was exciting. For the past five days the only rooms he had seen was his bedroom and the bathroom. What was outside this room? Roxas walked up to the door and grabbed the door knob pulling like Axel did a minute ago except it wouldn't budge. His brow furrowed in confusion, why couldn't he open the door? Everyone else could. Roxas pulled putting his weight into it and leaning back but it didn't budge, frustrating the blonde. He was ignorant about everything to the point where he couldn't even open a door. Just then a soft sound of clicking heels could be heard outside. The door handle turned and a short blue haired nurse walked in. Roxas remembered her from before, she went by the name Aqua.

"Good morning Roxas," the woman smiled sweetly. "I have your breakfast." Roxas looked at her and then glanced back at the door as it clicked shut. Defeated, he obediently walked over to the table and looked at what she set down. "I see you're walking just fine."

Roxas hadn't noticed his fight with the door was still swimming around his mind, "Oh, I guess you're right." He laughed a bit; it wasn't bad to feel proud of yourself, right? The food on the table looked less than appetizing. It was the same tan mush he had the previous days. But next to it was small round blue things in a white Styrofoam bowl. "What are these?" He pointed at them; Aqua was over making his bed for him. She turned her head and then let out a tiny laugh.

"Blueberries. Just make sure you chew them. The doctors must still be afraid that you will choke on your food or something because you forget to chew. It's silly really. But blueberries are okay." Roxas shrugged and picked one up, rolling it between his fingertips and squeezing. It surprised him when the berry popped and a whitish inside came squishing onto his fingers. Roxas hesitantly set it in his mouth, eyes lighting up instantly. It was the best thing he had ever eaten. Sweet and a little sour, it was a whole new sense for him. The food he had before was bland and tasteless. Roxas sat down and began putting one after another in his mouth, forgetting to chew and holding them in his cheeks like a chipmunk. Aqua turned and looked at him then doubled over in laughter, "Roxas, Roxas," She came over and set her hand on his shoulder, "One at a time. Chew them; don't shove them all in your mouth." He blushed and began chewing slowly. It was still the most delicious thing in the world, taking a mental vow right then that he would not eat anymore of the tan mush ever. "Well I am going to tell Miss Tifa that you are ready. Will you be fine on your own for a minute?" Roxas nodded. She smiled and exited the room.

Roxas jumped up keeping hold of his bowl of blueberries and catching the door before it clicked shut. His heart was pounding in his ears, this was exciting. He waited till he could no longer hear the clicking of her shoes and then pulled the door open, peeking out. The white hall was void of life. Much like his room, a dim fluorescent light illuminated it. He stepped out of the safety of his room, the door clicking closed behind him and he started walking, going left down the hallway. Roxas wasn't sure where he was heading but he was excited to see what else was beyond his room. So far it was the same boring white, door after door. Some of the rooms he passed had people in them they were sitting at big tabled with mountains of papers on either side of them. Roxas popped berries into his mouth as he proceeded on and eventually came to a blue door that marked the end of the hall. Roxas stared at it, placing a few more berries in his mouth. The door was different than the others. It had a metal bar going across it but no handle or knob. Roxas put his hand against the metal pushing lightly and jumping back when the door pushed open. A pleased smile spread across his face he popped a few more berries in his mouth and pushed the door, it was heavy and swung closed. Roxas stood there looking up at it, his brow furrowed. A feeling of frustration bubbled up inside of him and Roxas shoved the whole weight of his body against the door. It gave way causing Roxas to tumble in the door way. The door swung back and was pressing painfully against his hip, his berries were scattered on the floor. He scrambled to his feet, giving the door another push, and scrambled in. He watched as the door clicked shut once again. The accomplishment was quickly forgotten. Roxas took note of what was in front of him. He had never seen stairs before; he looked down at them nervously. It was steep and when he looked over the railing he saw that the ground was far below. He nervously grabbed onto the railing, too far to turn back, and stepped down. The process was tedious as he set one foot down and struggled to regain balance, and then put the other down.

Eventually he reached the very bottom and was faced with another door which he pushed open easily. The halls here were more exciting here. The floor was a shiny black with light blue walls, the soft sound of people talking hummed farther off. Unlike the pervious hall this one had people. There was a woman quickly coming down the hall, her eyes casted downward. She turned into a room father ahead. Roxas proceeded down looking into the rooms. There were people he had never seen before, doctors and women. In one particular room Roxas stopped in front of there was a doctor with sleek black hair talking to a woman who was crying. Her face was scrunched and she kept dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Roxas couldn't control the feeling of dread that overcame him from the sight, moving closer to peer into the door's window. He found tears beginning to collect in his eyes. The doctor in the room suddenly snapped his head to the door, getting up abruptly, approaching and opening the door. Roxas jumped back.

"Do you mind?" The doctor asked impatiently, "I'm with a patient. If you need assistance you can find it down the- …" The doctor suddenly fell quiet, staring, Roxas was beginning to feel uncomfortable he nodded and turned to leave but his arm was grabbed by the doctor. "Who are you?" The doctor asked stepping out of his room into the hall. He closed the door behind him so the woman couldn't hear.

"Roxas," he answered quietly.

The doctor nodded, "Stay here for a second Roxas, I want to talk to you." He slowly retreated back into his office, but Roxas was growing more and more uncomfortable, a bad feeling bubbling in his stomach. Instead of waiting he proceeded down the hall as quickly as he could. It wasn't long before the door behind him squeaked open. "Hey!, come back!" the Doctor yelled after him, his polished dressed shoes clicking against the floor. Roxas broke out into a run, he didn't want this man to catch up with him, but his balance wavered at the uncomfortable speed and he stumbled, catching himself on the wall and turning the corner. He ran past another person who eyed him curiously. "Catch him," The doctor called to the other. "Don't let him get out to the lobby!" A large man stepped out from a room ahead of him, catching his wrist and pulling so that the blonde came crashing to the ground. Roxas rubbed his head and looked up at the man who was wearing a white shirt and tie with a badge. The doctors who had been in pursuit of Roxas trotted towards them, stopping and scowling. Roxas was pulled up by the larger man gently.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a deep voice that sounded more like a beast than a man, he still hadn't released the tight grip on Roxas' arm. Roxas just stared up at him wide eyed. He was afraid, although he wasn't quite sure why. There was no reason for these people to chase after him.

"Thank you Lexaeus," The dark haired doctor huffed in attempts to catch his breath. "Please escort him back to my office. I have called Doctor Xemnas." Lexaeus nodded and preceded forward catching Roxas off guard and causing him to stumble as he was pulled along. Inside the office Roxas sat in the leather chair only sitting for a minute when the door swung open and in strode Doctor Xemnas with a countenance that read anything but happy. Axel was trailing behind him, not pleased as well.

"Thank you doctor," Xemnas said politely, the two shook hands and Xemnas exited, Axel and Roxas following out next with Lexaeus behind. Axel looked down at Roxas and gave him a disappointed look, Roxas hung his head. He was incredibly confused at what was happening, yet somehow understood that he had made a mistake. There was a beep as the elevator door opened and the group, save Lexaeus, stepped inside. The interior of the elevator was a generic white, but Roxas could not keep his curiosity hidden. He looked around the compartment and watched as Xemnas clicked the buttons, making the doors to the room slide close. The whole room lurched up. Roxas' balance was obliterated and admittedly he was afraid, causing him to grab onto Axel's arm. Axel simply glanced down at the boy, who was looking around frantically, causing the redhead to smile. Roxas' behavior mellowed down quickly as he realized that what was happening wasn't something to fear. The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Xemnas, who was still ahead, was quiet and hadn't looked at either him or Axel the whole time. They continued this way down the hall, reaching Roxas' room and filing in. Roxas walked over and sat on the bed, staring up at the two.

"What did you think you were doing?" Xemnas growled walking up to the boy as soon as the door closed; he towered over him. Roxas just looked at him with big eyes, mouth opening to answer but no words were forming. "Where did you think you were going?"

"I- um. I was just- …" Roxas looked down and squeezed his eyed closed, tears welling up behind them, slipping out, and rolling down his cheeks. Xemnas never ceased his frustrated glare and Roxas could feel the eyes burning holes right through him.

"You are not permitted to leave without our permission! Do you understand? You are a very expensive project, we cannot have you running off whenever you see fit. It's not safe for you, in addition our years of hard work would be to waste!"

Axel approached the pair and laid a hand on Xemnas' shoulder giving him a stern look and signaling him to step down. Xemnas just scowled and abruptly turned away and put distance between him and the boy. "Roxas," Axel said soft yet sternly. Roxas looked up at Axel a little, sniffling and quickly wiping his tears on the sleeve of his shirt. "Don't ever leave your room without asking us first, okay?" The blonde nodded. "We were very worried about you. You could have been hurt." The door clicked shut as Xemnas left the room. Axel glanced back to find it empty. He directed his attention back to Roxas and was met by the blue tear filled eyes; he could have sworn that his heart froze right then at the sight. Axel brought his thumb up and wiped the tears from under the blonde's eyes. "Don't cry," He said calmly, Roxas sniffled.

"Doctor Axel, why can't I leave my room? I saw a lot of people out there walking around. Why can't I go out there?"

Axel gave him a weak smile and nodded. "You just wanted to get out of the room, didn't you?" Roxas shook his head in response and Axel pursed his lips.

"I wanted to know what was outside."

"Roxas you can't just leave whenever you want to." Roxas tried to open his mouth to say something, but was silence by a finger. "Remember what we talked about this morning? How Doctor Ansem made you?"

"Yeah, I remember, but I didn't understand everything you said though."

"That's fine, I really would be amazed if you did," Axel chuckled; Roxas gave him a soft smile. "Well, anyways as I was saying…This building we are in right now is called the International Facility for Genetic Research and Experimentation. And as I mentioned this morning, people are not made here. Doctor Ansem has tried for years to make a perfect human, and everything until you was a failure."

"I know, you said I was one of a kind…"

Axel looked away for a moment and bit his lip. He wasn't sure how to explain the boy's situation to him without further confusing or upsetting him. After a few moments of Roxas curiously watching Axel think, the redhead once again redirected his attention to the blonde. "You are a genetic experiment, and property of this facility. You are both mine and Doctor Xemnas' responsibility." The blonde's expression was perplexed but Axel continued on. "You are human so in theory you would have all the rights of a normal person but… that's not really the case. This facility _owns _you, in a sense… And because you were not biologically produced the facility is responsible for you. Sure at some point you might be allowed out into the real world, but not yet. There is a lot to be done before that, first we need to know if we were successful in our project and we also need to know if you are harmful to yourself, or others, and at this stage of your life we are unaware of any of those factors." Axel realized that, once again, he was throwing a lot of information at Roxas at one time. He stayed silent for a little while Roxas turned the idea over in his head a few times.

"So…I'm going to be here for… the rest of my life?" Roxas gave Axel a questioning look, clearly appalled to the idea of staying in this room for any moment longer than he had to.

"Well," Axel wasn't quite sure how to answer that. He wasn't sure if Ansem ever planned on letting the boy merge into the normal population. One thing was sure; he would never really have a normal life. "Maybe when you're eighteen you can leave. But it's never going to exactly be… normal."

"Why not?"

"The government will never really count you as a member of the population. It's not really all that bad." Axel smiled, "You won't have to pay taxes." He smiled and chuckled, Roxas laughing lightly too shaking his head.

"I don't even know what taxes are."

"Bah, they're not important," Axel waved, wrinkling his nose, the blonde laughed again but then it suddenly died down and Roxas sighed.

Roxas looked at Axel nervously, shooting him a weak smile, "Thanks Doctor Axel-"

"Just Axel is fine," The redhead said softly.

Roxas nodded and gave a light blush, "Axel, thank you so much for everything."

Axel was a bit surprised by the blonde and his heart thumped nervously, "For what Roxas?"

"For stopping Xemnas when he was yelling and for explaining everything to me… and helping me, I feel really relaxed around you. And I like talking to you."

"Anytime Roxas, I will always be here when you need me."

"Good." The pair paused for a moment. "I don't like Doctor Xemnas…"

Axel burst out laughing at the comment. It was a fact that the man wasn't the friendliest person in the facility. "Why not?" He asked between laughs, regaining his composure soon after.

"Well he yelled at me for one," Roxas growled, "And the other day he was poking me with weird things and it really hurt…"

The redhead gave him a smirk, "Shots, you needed them. In reality you should thank him. Without the 'weird pokey things' you could have gotten sick."Roxas shrugged but never really responded. The two sat there looking at each other for awhile and then Axel looked towards the ceiling and sighed. "I probably have to let Miss Tifa come in to work with you and go explain what happened to Doctor Ansem." Roxas frown and nodded, Axel gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, Doctor Ansem has to be informed." Roxas nodded again. "Besides, Miss Tifa is going to begin teaching you how to read it's _very_ important, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it." The blonde gave him a small smile. Axel stood and stretched, heading for the door. "I'll see you later Roxas," Axel said with a smile and wave as he stepped out of the room. Tifa had been waiting outside holding her bag of books and other supplies. "He's all yours."Axel said teasingly.

"Is he alright?" she tilted her head to the side curiously, "I heard you guys ha an incident. He ran away?"

"No, not at all. He just wanted to know what was outside his room and didn't know he wasn't supposed to leave." The woman mouth and "Oh" and shook her head understandingly.

"Well I suppose that's good then, at least he wants to learn… even if it's not the way you guys want him to."

"Yeah," Axel gave a breathless chuckle rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. "I'm actually going to go talk to the boss about it. Explain the situation and such." The woman nodded.

"Well I better get in there."

"Yeah," The two parted ways, wishing each other a good afternoon and Axel proceeding down the hall. His mind was racing with everything he needed to say to Ansem. He knew Ansem wasn't going to be happy with the way the morning had turned out. But Roxas was growing and they needed to plan on how to meet all of his needs. Sadly they had forgotten about the curiosity that would grow for the world outside the facility. He approached the room and knocked firmly on the door. There was a muffled 'come in' from inside and Axel opened the door slowly to reveal the doctor reading through a stack of papers on his desk. He glanced up briefly and the returned his eyes to his work.

"Come in Axel." Axel walked in letting the door click shut behind him and had a seat in one of the leather chairs. There was momentary silence and then Ansem sighed and stretched, leaning back in his chair and looking to Axel. "Xemnas told me about what happened this morning. He said he made the boy cry. Did you get any information from him?"

Axel pursed his lips, shaking his head slowly, "All he said was that he wanted to know what was outside his room."

"Really now," Ansem rubbed his temples. "We can't allow him to do this again. I don't want him in the lobby. Ever. Once word gets out to the public on the experiment's physical traits we could very likely have people seeking him out to harm him. Activists and fanatics." Ansem shook his head. "He's an amazing scientific breakthrough, but not one to share with the world…at least for now."

"How are we going to keep the world from him?" Axel asked.

"Excuse me?" Ansem raised an eyebrow.

"He left his room to see what was outside, and that's perfect intelligent behavior. We should encourage it, not punish him for it. And once he starts classes and learns what's out there beyond these walls he will want to leave. He will leave. And I'm not sure we could stop him. The only reason we caught him down there today is because he was peeking into everyone's windows. Just think, in a few months if he wants to walk out the front door how can we stop him? And if we do stop him what will happen to him? He is already questioning why he is here. We can't keep him caged up in this facility."

The elder man scratched at his beard. "I suppose you are right about that doctor. Roxas could very well become depressed by the lack of stimuli in the facility, as well as his behavior to question everything." The elder man stroked his beard in thought, leaning back in his chair once more. "I suppose we could offer him… field trips. Purely educational of course, and as a reward," Axel nodded, lately Ansem had been extremely easy to convince, and very lenient on how controlled he was on the projects. "I'll let you arrange the first trip. We'll do it next Saturday, but if he is out of line then no trips. They will be rewards..." Ansem looked back to the paper work in front of him. "This field trip thing is completely your responsibility. Its success or failure depends on you; I figure you of all people would know best about what he needs... In addition, tonight I would like to you escort Roxas to his new room. I would also like you to give him a tour of where his classes are. If he feels so independent then this change in life style should suit him. If you don't need anything else then goodbye, I have a lot of paper work to fill out and a migraine."

"That's all I needed Sir." Axel stood and exited the room, leaving the doctor to his work. It was about eleven forty five.

҉

"Are you listening Roxas?" Roxas jumped as Tifa placed a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looked up at her apologetically a slight blush dusting his cheeks

"Sorry Tifa. I wasn't…" He gave her a weak smile, and she shrugged mildly frustrated but cool.

"It's fine Roxas. We can try again. I'm going to write a word on the white board and I want you to say it out loud. Now these won't be pictures like they normally are, okay?" Roxas nodded. He was struggling to pay attention and really couldn't figure out why. There was a strange heavy feeling in his chest. "Roxas?" Roxas' attention was snapped back to Tifa.

"Sorry. Uh it is… that says… Cat?"

"Yes, very good Roxas." Roxas smiled and she started to explain something to him. In all honesty it went right through his head, it wasn't that he didn't enjoy the lesson, but every time he closed his eyes he could see Doctor Axel smiling, and the flash backs of the mornings events. He was perfect, he was an experiment, and he was stuck here. What did it mean to be perfect? Doctor Axel told him it was impossible…

"Sorry Tifa." He said, "I'm out of it right now. I'm not sure what's wrong with me."

She sighed and put her whiteboard down, "Roxas, you're never going to learn if you can't stay focused. Is there anything I can do to help you?" Roxas bit his lip quickly responding with a shake of his head. "You know, I am going to have to put this in my records. Xemnas and Ansem are not going to be happy with you if this occurs more frequently, I don't want you to get in trouble."

"I understand," He said softly. "It's for the data; you have to put it in. Axel told me about that, making sure my project is successful and stuff and I get it. It's just… I'm not feeling up to it right now. Could we take a break?"

Tifa looked at her cell phone for the time and nodded. "Yeah, I'll call Aerith and tell her you're going to take and early lunch, then Terra will be in to do a bit of strength training with you, and I'll be back around four." Roxas nodded and Tifa flipped open her phone to make a call. "Hey Aerith I was just wondering if…" Her voice trailed off. Roxas wasn't really all that interested in what she was saying. Instead he went over to the bed and flopped down on his back staring up at the ceiling. Tifa had stepped out of the room; he glanced over at the door. Roxas heaved himself up looking down at his unsocked feet. He had removed them earlier in the morning when it got warm. Something caught his eye, between his big toe and its companion to the left. There was a dark spot on his skin. He had never noticed anything like that before and curiously ran a fingernail over it, expecting the spot to be dirt and flake off. He realized his suspicion was wrong and brought it closer to his face to examine the area. The spot was his skin alright. Just then the door opened and Aerith was coming in with a bowl of food.

"Hello Roxas," she chirped. "I brought you some soup!" She set it down on the table. Roxas lifted himself out of bed and walked over to the table, sitting down and looking at what was in the bowl. It was a yellowish liquid of some kind with lumps of whitish things in it and slices of something orange… it looked odd.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Chicken noodle soup."

"What are these?" Roxas spooned an orange lump out and brought it closer to his face to examine it.

"Carrots," She answered, taking a seat, "It's a type of vegetable."

"And this?" Roxas asked spooning out another lump.

"Chicken," she smiled at him. And so they proceeded to go through everything inside Roxas' soup bowl before he was finally satisfied to eat it. Once finished she reached in front of him and collected the empty bowl, Roxas' noticed the strange brown spots on her arms, much like what he found between his toes.

"Wait!" he grabbed her arm halting her, and then curiously examined it.

Aerith was confused at his behavior, "What is it Roxas."

"These spots on your arm," He said, eyes inches from her arm and brow furrowed in confusion. "What are they?"

Aerith was a very patient woman, god bless her, and merely gave a chuckle. "They are freckles," she answered, "Melanin mutation in skin."

"Are they normal?" Roxas asked her, releasing her arm and looking up at her.

"Very normal, in fact most people have them. You shouldn't though."

"Oh," Roxas sat there silent for a moment. "Does Doctor Axel have them?"

"Probably, I have never really checked." Roxas nodded and she sent him a soft smile. "I'll be sending Terra in soon, okay. Don't go running off on us." Roxas laughed.

"I won't," He reassured her. She gave him an approving motherly smile and exited the room. Roxas fiddled with his hands and looked around. "I wouldn't really have anywhere to go," He said to himself, then lifted his foot up onto his lap, spreading his toes and looking at the freckle.

҉

Outside of examining the data and reading the notes collected about Roxas, there really wasn't much to do. All of his textbooks had been ordered and earlier Axel helped roll in a shelf for Roxas' area of the library. He now sat in Xemnas' office looking over said file and was trying to organize the data into something chartable to show the project sponsors, whom Ansem just so happened to call in for Thursday and forgot to mention it to Axel. Good thing Xemnas was on task. He had most of the data presentable and only needed a few extra details to polish the project.

"Ah, come on," Axel sighed sitting back into the chair frustrated. "Why can't Ansem do this?"

"Ansem is working on something much more important." Xemnas stated flatly never taking his eyes from his computer screen. Axel sighed again. He knew Xemnas was right and the old man was probably busy somewhere working on god knows what. "Make sure you know the information Axel, you will be the one aiding in this presentation. Ansem will be doing most of the work but you will be expected to say something as well."

"Why, where will you be?"

"I have an appointment with a patient. Remember Axel? I still see patients, and Thursday afternoon I will be helping a homosexual couple create a child." Xemnas said this flatly as if it were something as common as baking a cake. The two continued their work in silence, the steady click, click of Xemnas' fingers on the keyboard giving Axel a sound to zone out on and the time from then on passed rather quickly since he was busy cramming information for the presentation Thursday. Around six thirty Xemnas received a phone call from Ansem. Whatever it was, it was important because Xemnas, as politely as he could, asked Axel to leave the room. He was done for the night, which Axel happily obliged to. Axel stepped out of the room as started down the hall, in about half an hour Roxas would be getting done with his lesson. He would have gladly walked in and cut the lesson short but Tifa had requested an extra hour due to the fact that Roxas had been struggling with staying focused that afternoon. Axel spend the remainder of his time lingering about in the café and shop on the first floor near the lobby.

҉

"So it's about time for me to go, alright? You did well today. I want you to keep that book, and if you feel up to it, I want you to pick another one and have it read for tomorrow." Tifa took a stack of books out of her bag that she had pulled from the shelves at her home. "These are bit harder, so if you end up not being able to read them it's just fine." Roxas smiled and nodded, walking over to the table where she had set the stack down, looking at each book. A lot of them were colorful and showed some kind of animal or poorly drawn person, except the last. The cover depicted a beautiful woman with swooping black hair sitting a white gown dipping her feet into the water from the edge of a palace. Roxas took the book from that stack, "Got it?" Tifa asked and Roxas gave her a smile. "Alright then, I'm heading out." She picked up her bag and exited the room. Roxas watched her go and then went over to the bed and sat down with the book flipping through the pages. It wasn't too much longer that Roxas was disturbed by the creak of the door, and Axel came inside.

Roxas got up, setting his book on the floor next to his bed, "Hey there Roxas," Axel said coolly, "We got to go, so grab your stuff, okay."

"Where are we going Axel?" Roxas stood in the middle of his room watching the red head walk around collecting Roxas' bedding and the extra pair of clothes on the table.

"You'll see. It's a surprise, okay?"

Roxas raised an eyebrow at this. "Alright I guess. But I don't understand why you're taking the stuff on my bed… to be honest I didn't know it came off." Roxas examined it as Axel pulled the sheet off his mattress. Axel turned around, and smiled at him handing Roxas the armful of blankets.

"Do you have everything?"

"Everything?" Axel nodded in response. Roxas stood there thinking for a moment and then dropped the sheets and went over to the bed looking for the books. During Axel's stripping of the bed they had been kicked under so he had to fish around for the two children's books.

Axel cocked his head to the side and gently took one of the books curiously tuning it over in his hand. "The Little Mermaid?" Axel smirked and handed it back to the blonde. "Isn't that a bit girly?"

Roxas shrugged, "I don't know. It's what Tifa gave me. She let me pick the books out and it has really nice pictures. I don't know what it says yet."

"It's a love story." Axel stated bending down to collect the dropped sheets on the floor. "But it's a sad one."

"A love story?" Roxas asked. He again was thoroughly confused, cocking his head to the side in curiosity. "Axel what's love?"

Axel froze and looked at the blond. "Um…" He furrowed his brow once again not knowing how to explain the abstract concept to the younger person. "It's complicated. I'm not sure I can tell you about it."

"Why not?"

"It's something you have to feel…" The two stared at each other for a moment and then Axel turned and headed for the door. "You ready?"

"For what?" Roxas grumbled, "You still haven't told me what's happening."

"We are leaving. Now get out the door Blondie," Axel teased still holding the door with his foot. Roxas nervously stepped out into the hallway.

"Blondie?" Roxas raised an eyebrow at that, and only received a wolf-like smile from Axel partially cover by the mound of blankets. Roxas sighed and changed the subject, "Are you sure I won't get in trouble?"

"No way, you're with me. Xemnas and Ansem know anyways. Just stay close okay, and no running off." Axel said the last part a bit sternly. They walked down the hallway and Roxas watched as Axel clicked the down button for the elevator, a soft beep sounded before the doors swung open. The two stepped inside. It was a bit awkward, they didn't speak, nor did they look at each other for a few seconds. Axel let out a loud sigh to break the silence, glancing down at the boy from the corner of his eye. He shifted his weight and stuck his hip out bumping Roxas and causing him to stumble. Roxas looked up at the red head curiously and then quickly down at his feet with a blush.

"Soo…Roxas, how was your day?" He asked nonchalantly still watching him from the corner of his eye.

"Um, well I learned how to read a little bit. She wants me to try and read these books tonight," the blonde's gaze turned towards the books. "They seem a bit hard though. I'm not sure if I can do it."

"Well if you need help, I'm here." Roxas smiled and nodded, the elevator door slid open and they stepped out into the hallway.

"Isn't this where I was earlier?" Roxas asked confused, why would they bring him back here if they didn't want him here?

"Yeah it is. I'll introduce you to the doctors on this floor later." Axel came over to a section of the hall which was widened out to be a waiting room. The wall had a few chairs against it and was painted blue. The wall was a standard dry wall, but there was a larger glass door place to the far left. Axel set the blankets down on the floor. "I have to show you something. Follow me, okay." By the waiting room area a small door was hidden behind the staircase. Axel walked over and opened it. The lights clicked on as they walked in and Roxas was looked around at the room it was the largest area he had ever seen. There were a few desks far off on the other side of the room and it was full of rows and rows of shelving containing books, the whole back was glass. Roxas' eyes were captivated by the things on the other side. There were plenty of trees, and flower beds with a few old statues warn out by the weather and coated in ivy. It was green on the other side of the glass. Green and dark. Roxas looked up at the pitch black sky, it had been getting darker sooner, the summer days were coming to a close. Glowing specks dotted the pitch black darkness on the other side of the glass, Roxas turned to Axel excitedly.

"Can we go out there? I want to see the walls. They are covered in dots and look really far away!" Axel wasn't sure what to tell him. He walked over to his side and looked up at the stars.

"They're not walls Roxas."

The boys excitement stopped completely, giving Axel a confused look, "What?"

"They're not walls. There are no walls out there. Those things up there, the dots, they are called stars."

"Stars," Roxas repeated, getting a feel for the word. He then snapped his head back toward the redhead, "What do you mean there are no walls?"

"Only buildings have walls. People make buildings to keep us safe from the outside. On the other side of this wall is outside."

"Why are we keeping it outside Axel, it's beautiful, I want to go out there."

He chuckled, "Someday I'll take you out there Roxas." The blonde looked up at him. "But today we can't. I need you to pay attention now," he teased punching him very lightly on the arm.

Roxas blushed, rubbing his arm, "Sorry Axel."

"It's fine, so this is the library. It's actually a research center and file holding area. We keep all the important files and records here, as well as sources and publications. For you though it is serving as a class room." Axel led Roxas over to a table. There was a book shelf a couple feet away. "This is your table. You will meet your teachers here every day. And that," He pointed towards the book shelf, "Is all of your books for learning. They are arranged by subject and level." Axel walked over and picked up a book for global history and set it on the table. Roxas came over, sitting at one of the chairs and opened the book to be confronted with an image of a Buddhist monk lighting an incent in a temple. Roxas looked at it flipping to the next page and looking at the old Asian art work depicting the story of Buddha. Axel looked over his shoulder. "Global Religion. That's Buddhism. It's mainly concentrated in Asia, but the United States has seen an increase of Buddhists in the past few years." Roxas nodded, listening but never taking his eyes of the image. Axel placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let's get going okay? I have more to show you." Roxas smiled at him and closed the book, walking over and returning it to its space on the shelf. Roxas followed Axel back out through the door where they had just come from. Axel pulled out his keys from the pockets of his dress pants and fiddled with opening the door. He motioned Roxas inside, holding it with his foot and scooping the blankets up into his arms. The lights flicked on with the motion of them walking and Roxas was greeted by the sight of white walls and a dark brown wood floor complete with molding around the floor and door frames. Roxas looked around with wonder and Axel stepped in next to him, "This is your room new home Roxas." To the left was a carpeted area much like the waiting room outside with a leather love seat and small coffee table. There was a television stand with no television. And a couple picture frames containing replicas of 'The Birth of Venus' and other expensive old works done by the masters. Axel continued down the hall leaving Roxas to explore, he opened the door and turned on the light of his bed room. The color scheme was the same, it was considerably more spacious than the room he had upstairs. There was a bed pushed against the wall to the left with a frosted glass window with in the middle of the back wall. Underneath it was drawers. The right wall consisted solely of a screen and the bathroom door. It was a black screen with blue glowing text, long but only a foot or two high. It read in big letters "Hello Roxas." There were a few buttons under it reading menu, select, and back. Roxas joined him inside the room speechless. He looked around and then sat down on his new bed, which was wider than the old one. Axel set the armful of blankets down and started to put the sheets on the bed "What do you think," Axel asked.

"It's amazing. I'm not sure what to say. I really wasn't expecting this." The boy laughed. "And I'm really glad I don't have to spend any more time up stairs in my old room." Axel nodded. He understood the trapped feeling Roxas had been going through.

"Well, it's your space," Axel smiled. "For breakfast they want you to meet them out at the table. You're expected to get yourself up and ready now. Ansem wants someone to escort you to your classes for now, it will probably be me. So I'll be waiting out there for you." Axel finished putting the last blanket on and then walked over and pushed the door to the bathroom on the left wall open. "Here is your bathroom."

"And what's this thing?" Roxas asked pointing at the screen hanging on the wall.

"It's like a computer. It will tell you the schedule for the day. It can probably do other stuff too." Axel walked up and hit menu, clicking through a few things and then selecting an alarm clock setting. "Aha! This baby has an alarm clock on it, so it will beep to wake up in the morning." Roxas got up and came to see what Axel was talking about. "Oh wow," Axel clicked a button and smirked, pleased with himself. "Tell it to open tomorrow's schedule, but say it loud and firmly"

Roxas blinked and then stated firmly, "Open tomorrow's schedule." The screen beeped and brought up a list of times and classes. The two excitedly looked at the screen like children in a toy store.

"Bring up meal options for tomorrow morning." The screen beeped and showed a list of foods with boxes. It showed each food, the food group it was in, and how many types of foods he was allowed for that morning. "What do you want to eat Roxy?"

Roxas paused, "Why'd you call me Roxy?"

"I like it," Axel shot him a wolfish grin, causing the blonde to blush lightly.

"Are blue berries on there?" Roxas asked shaking off the blush. Axel nodded and pointed to them on the list under fruit. "I want some of those." Axel chuckled and lightly tapped his finger on the box next to the word blueberries.

"What else do you want? It says you can have two fruit, a vegetable, a grain, protein, and a dairy." Roxas had no clue what he was talking about and couldn't read the screen anyways.

"I'm not sure what I want. I've only ever had blueberries and that mush."

"Do you want that mush again?" Axel was just about to select oatmeal when Roxas quickly stopped him with a frantic no and disgusted look. Axel chuckled. "I don't like oatmeal either."

"Ew, they named that stuff? Do people actually choose to eat it?"

Axel nodded, holding in his laugh, "I bet Xemnas loves it."

Roxas made a sour face. "Yeah he would…" the two looked at another and broke out laughing again lasting for a few minutes and then calming, their eyes locked and suddenly the room was hushed. Roxas smiled up at the redhead and they stared in awkward silence. Axel flushed a bit and turned away abruptly beginning to reach up and stretch out his sides.

"Well, Roxas," he yawned, "I probably should get going." Roxas looked towards the ground and nodded.

"Yeah I suppose it is late."

Axel raised a brow curiously at the boy's behavior and then smirked. He came up behind Roxas and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Roxas startled and looked at Axel. He wasn't sure what was happening. He had surely never been hugged before thus the experience was very strange and new, but after a few moments he relaxed into it and smiled. A warm tingling feeling spread from his stomach through his body. Axel relaxed into the hug but his brain immediate reminded him of what Riku had said the previous night. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times and then gently released Roxas sending him a small smile and then turning towards the doorway, "I will be outside in the morning to take you to your classes. Get some sleep, and try not to stress yourself out over those books." The blonde nodded giving him a light smile and then turning his eyes away and towards the ground, he felt strangely cold without the redhead against him and dearly wished Axel would say and hold him like that again.

"Axel?"

"What is it Roxas," Axel paused, just about to step out of the room.

"What was that… just a second ago when you put your arms around me, what were you doing?"

Axel stayed silent for a moment watching the boy with a sad expression, Roxas' head was still hung and Axel wished he could stay with him, "It was a hug. Friends do it to comfort each other. It's a friendly thing that expresses you care about someone."

Roxas smiled at that. "Oh." Axel nodded and exited the room slowly, looking at him for a few more seconds before closing the door. Roxas glanced up at the closed door and smiled, Axel cared about him.

҉

The walk to the car was one of the longest walks in Axel's life. He contemplated lying to Ansem and saying that Roxas was scared and wanted him to stay just so he could spend more time with the blonde. But he didn't, he knew that the elder man would never allow it and would conclude that Axel had grown too attached to the subject and needed to take a break or be removed from the project. Instead he reported that Roxas had been successfully moved to his new room downstairs and that he was settled and happy. He also stated that he showed him to his section of the library and promised the boy that he would escort him to classes in the morning. Now Axel was walking out to his car. It was a chilly August night probably about fifty and Axel could sense that the autumn coming was going to be a cold one. The tea shop on the crystal plaza of New York City was dark. The lights were off and the shades were drawn tightly closed. Axel pulled out his ring of keys, fumbling for a moment and then shoving a small silver one into the lock of the door, relocking it before proceeding upstairs to the cozy apartment. Riku was settled in on the couch listening to the television. It was some television show rerunning from 2010. The image quality was poor compared to shows recently produced. Nothing was being created by the 3D projector leaving the image flat and restricted to only the screen. Riku didn't care though he paid no mind to Axel as he walked into his bed room to set down his bags, then back out to the kitchen for a late night snack. Axel fished through the refrigerator and grabbed out a slice of pumpkin pie, taking it to the living room to sit next to Riku. The two were quite for a moment. Axel watched the television program absently, uninterested by the lack of quality the program had but completely drawn into the concept of a moody doctor able to solve any problem while holding on to his witty asshole reputation. Really the man was soft under his persona and deeply cared for people, but you couldn't pick up on that without seeing a few episodes. The show braked to commercial and Axel leaned forward and looked at Riku, his eyes were closed, not like it made much of a difference anyways, and his head was propped up on his left arm on the arm of the couch. Axel leaned forward; fork poised to give the other a quick stab to the ribs but was suddenly cut off by a growl from the other.

"Don't you dare," Riku hissed. Axel sat back and sighed.

"I just wanted to know if you were awake."

"Yeah fucking right, I lay money you were going to jab me with a fork or some shit." Axel couldn't help but laugh; it was strange how Riku knew everything just from sound. His handy cap really wasn't much of one at all. "Mhm," Riku responded to Axel's laughed, "I was right, wasn't I? You're real freak'in cute Axel." He said sarcastically.

"Awe, don't be a grump Riku," Axel said through a mouthful of pie. "I was only having fun."

"I know… I'm sorry." Riku said, quieting down some. Axel raised an eyebrow to this. That wasn't the answer he expected from the man.

"You alright?"

"Yeah I guess so. I'm just not feeling so hot today."

"Well if it makes you feel better you look pretty hot." Axel teased.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Thanks." Axel smiled and waited for Riku to continue. Riku sat there staring off into the television. It was a good day vision wise and, due to the brightness of the screen he could see the lights although barely. He knew something was there, some days he could also see the sun, but it was rare for that to happen and most of the time he kept his eyes closed those days. "I guess I was thinking about what you said last night, and that boy Sora." Riku shrugged. "I liked him. He gave me a good feeling. And then I started thinking about what you said, and well. You were right. I want a relationship. And, maybe it's weird since I just met him, but I kind of want it to be with him. You know? I got a good feeling."

Axel nodded sagely. "Well when does he come in, tomorrow?"

"Yeah tomorrow is his first day."

Axel smirked, leaning in, "Well, that would be a great time for some… personal training, you know?" Axel wiggled his eyebrows.

"Personal training?" Riku said flatly, turning away from Axel. He grabbed the remote and clicked the volume up a few notches. "Okay, love Doctor Axel. I'm done with your advice." He said smirking shaking his head in disbelief. Axel gave a hearty laugh and flopped back into his seat.

"Just a thought," Axel verified. They sat in silence for a moment and then Riku turned to Axel quickly. "And what about you, lover boy? How was daddy Ansem's fair and fragile experiment?" Axel flushed and kept his arms folded, eyes on the television and refused to answer. "Oh come on now Axel," Riku whined reaching forward to jab him in the ribs, going a score to high and catching him in the armpits. Axel jumped making a squeaking noise and then looked at Riku as if he had just been assaulted. "Tell me," Riku said turning his body to lounge back against the arm of the couch and stretching his feet out over the couches length, annoyingly pushing his them into Axel's lap.

"I don't know," Axel said stubbornly pushing away the wiggling feet that keep digging into his ribs. "Fine I guess," he huffed.

"Now come on Axel, there is no need to throw a fit. I spilled," He wiggled his toes into Axel's sides, causing the redhead to squeak, "Now it's your turn."

"Fine! Okay, okay!" Axel pushed the feet off of him and threw his arms up in surrender. "I think he's cute." Axel admitted. "But he is an experiment and I am his doctor. It would be completely inappropriate to have a relationship with him. Besides, I'm twenty one and he is fifteen, legally it is impossible. Ansem would beat me till I was cold and stiff. And lastly the boy doesn't even have feelings like that, he cannot comprehend love at this point and when I hugged him was completely confused and unresponsive."

"Oh, so you hugged him?" Riku asked coolly.

"Argh, Riku!" Axel growled a bit flustered, "It wasn't like that! He just didn't seem to want me to leave so I comforted him." Riku smile broadened causing Axel's frown to turn into a glare, "Not that way. He thinks of me as a friend. He is alone or with a teacher most of the day so for him I represent relaxing human interaction. I'm not trying to shove information down his throat." Riku didn't say anything and only smiled at him. Axel just sat back and watched the television thinking deeply about what Riku had suggested.


	4. Chapter 4

**Not that you guys don't already know, but these characters are not mine. The story, **_**The Little Mermaid**_**, is also not mine, but if you are not familiar with the original Hans Christian Anderson version (not Disney) go get familiar there is a lot of symbolism and quality themes in it so go educate your selves, I mean that in a nice way. Otherwise enjoy. I also apologize for not posting last week, I felt a bit uninspired. I am working through this story, I want to see the end of it as much as you guys.**

_There was a blue hue to the normally purple twilight. It was one of those still, steady days where the warm breeze broke upon you like a wave. I was on my back in the field, the stalks of the golden plants looked like they stretched up forever from the angle. It was warm and familiar. I could feel someone walking. They started at the edge of the field, emerging from the forest and now stood next to me, staring down at my body. I couldn't move my head to look at them. I didn't want to anyways, and after a few moments of stagnant air, the wind picked up, the other joined me on the ground, hand brushing against the earth as it reached up and tangled with mine. "I've been waiting for you. We both might be oblivious to it out there, but the truth is I've been waiting." I didn't say anything. We stayed like this for hours, the yellow bird watching from afar. _

The beeping of the alarm clock startled Roxas as he was jolted awake from the sound. Truly exhausted from having been up all night looking at the pictures in the book he had received from Tifa. It had been an exciting night, although a very confusing one and Roxas had replayed the hug Axel gave him a thousand times over in his mind. Secretly he wished that the redheaded doctor had stayed over with him, unsure about the reason why he felt so drawn to him. The desire left him with a feeling that built in the pit of his stomach and left him limp and heavy. He groaned, pushing the thoughts out of his head, and peeled back the blankets being greeted by a burst of cold air. He walked over to the screen on the wall that was beeping furiously at him and clicked off the alarm. The door to the bathroom was cracked open so he pushed it lightly and shuffled inside; hardly lifting his feet due to his lack of energy. Roxas peeled off his clothes and stepped into the shower not knowing to check the temperature and was jolted awake by the icy cold that ran down his back. The nurses usually ran the water for him so he had no idea that it could be adjusted from cold to warm and merely though the icy water was an act of bad luck. Shivering, he quickly washed his hair and body stepping out and looking around for a towel and change of clothes that were usually sitting out ready for him. Roxas looked around the room curiously. It was strange that the items weren't out. There was a cupboard across from the sink. Roxas opened it and happily found a set of towels inside and a supply of soap, razors, and shampoo on a shelf. Below that shelf was a big basket with a sign that read, "Dirty clothes/towels." Roxas grabbed one of the white fluffy towels and wiped his freezing face off. He had no idea where his clothes were but he had no desire to put on the old ones, they felt funny from sleeping in them. Since Roxas had successfully located towels he figured that with further inspection he could locate them; they had to be hiding somewhere… thus he scooped the old up and dropped them in the basket. Opening up the door and going out into the bedroom, looking around and spotting the drawer under the window. He bent down and opened it. Bingo. There were about seven changes of clothes. T-shirts, long sleeve shirts, pants, socks, underwear, cargo shorts all a sparkling white. In a lower drawer he had a pair of white slip on shoes, and white tennis shoes. He pulled on his t-shirt and a pair of white jeans, then sat on the bed and laced the tennis shoes. It was seven. He ran his fingers through his hair and then opened the door and walked out into the living area where he was greeted by a small spread on the table. The food was different than what he was served upstairs. There was a flat floppy white thing with a yellow blob in the center. Next to it was an almost rectangular tannish looking food; there was a bowl of blueberries and a glass of water. He sat down and started to eat the blue berries quietly. A few minutes into the meal the door opened and Axel came in looking very exhausted. The redhead came over and took a seat near him on the love seat. Roxas looked up at him with a soft smile.

"Good morning Roxas," Axel greeted him, leaning back into the love seat.

"Morning," He replied softly. The blonde continued eating.

Axel glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, smirking at the obviously tired expression the boy wore. "How was the first night Blondie?"

"It was okay. I'm just a bit sleepy," Roxas responded softly gazing at his plate where he idly began to push the eggs around.

"That's an egg," Axel pointed out_. No freak 'in dip Axel, you're a real genius_. The redhead flushed at his obvious statement.

The blonde nodded and smiled. "I was wondering what it was called, so thanks."

Axel let out a soft sigh of relief. But the blonde was still sitting there looking up at the other expectantly. Axel leaned forward and continued to point the items on the plate out, "And this here is toast. Those over here are blue berries, and this is a strawberry… Hurry up and eat, you have about…" Axel checked the clock. "Fifteen minutes till class." Roxas began cutting into his egg, surprisingly liking it and finishing breakfast in a couple of minutes. The two sat idly talking for the next few minutes, namely about the annoying buzzing of the alarm that morning, which Axel assured him was normal. At seven twenty five Roxas and Axel got up and walked over to the library where Tifa was patiently waiting to being the finishing touches on his reading lesson. Axel held the door open for the boy, Roxas just looking at him and then quietly walking in. Axel pulled his pager out from his pocket, while waiting to take Roxas to class it had vibrated. Axel sighed and looked in at the boy who went over and took a seat next to Tifa. The redhead then turned his attention at the message on the screen, it was from Xemnas: _Come up to Ansem's office when you are finished with Roxas_. Axel shrugged figuring it had something to do with the presentation, or the important business Ansem had been working on. Axel had plenty of time to prepare for the presentation. He began the climb to the third floor, Ansem and Xemnas were already talking, a hush falling over them as Axel stepped in the room.

"Axel, have a seat." Ansem politely gestured with a smile across his face. The way the man was smiling caused Axel to be slightly apprehensive. "So our presentation is kicking off at ten tomorrow… uh… I do hope you put on a suit or something for it Axel, and maybe pull your hair back…" Axel was a little shocked at the comment but nodded none the less. "Good, we are going to be having a lot more than sponsors in our crowd." Axel raised an eyebrow at this.

"Really? Who else will be there?"

"Scholars, Axel, and other men and women of science." Axel mouthed an, 'Oh' and Ansem broke out into the loudest gut-busting laugh, doubling over and forcing the man to brace himself on the desk. Axel watched Ansem, completely taken aback and confused by the behavior. Xemnas had a small smile twisting at the corners of his mouth. "They want to give me the Noble Prize," He said as his laugh slowly died down, leaving the man winded. "They want to give me the Noble Prize in Genetics for Roxas' project. We hardly have any data on him, but apparently splicing of DNA is enough to earn a reward." He said again more serious, with a smile still pulling at the corner of his mouth. His eyes were sharp for a brief moment, and then soften with another breathless chuckle. "I was nominated back a few years ago, but with this project I was finally selected. The ceremony is December tenth, so we will be going to Switzerland," Ansem shrugged, failing at controlling his enthusiasm. Axel looked at Xemnas, mouth hanging completely open and a smile spreading. Xemnas, who was now also donning a smile simply nodded as Ansem walked around his office, talking to himself excitedly.

"What?" Axel said standing abruptly, "You're kidding me!"

"I most certainly am not my dear boy," Ansem said turning back to Axel and catching him in a tight bear hug, patting his back, "We couldn't have done this without you Axel." Axel closed his eyes and smiled, letting his limp arms circle round and give the man a pat on the shoulder; he was pretty sure he could have cried. "We couldn't have done it without your success." The elder repeated, and then released the redhead. The statement registered and he gave the other a soft, nervous smile. The next few hours brought about nothing except excited chatter from Ansem and Axel. Xemnas who was undoubtedly thrilled struggled with clearly displaying his emotions and sat the sidelines, joining into the conversations and preparations but mainly serving as a chaperone for the two overly enthused men. They discussed who would go, of course Ansem and Xemnas, but Axel as well was attending, and Roxas too since he was the catalyst for the awarding of the prize. This topic brought up much debate between Xemnas and Axel, the two sharing completely different opinions on what was healthy and important for the boy. In the end Ansem took Axel's side, giving the reason that it would serve as a good learning opportunity, as well as the fact that Roxas would be a good addition to the presentation they would have to give upon accepting the reward. They spent the afternoon chatting about costs and transportation. Ansem had a privet jet that they decided would be their best option for the flight. Around lunch Axel abandoned the group eager to go home and share his news. In all honesty ever since childhood and hearing about the Noble Prize Axel had dreamt that he would one day win it. Although he wasn't the one being awarded the prize directly, it still felt as if he won since he was a large contributor to the group. Axel was proud of the achievement and was proud that it was being recognized with such a great honor and on a global scale. He left the facility and went out to his car and took the drive home. Xemnas and Ansem stayed in Ansem's office and discussed the situation.

҉

The tea shop was hopping and Sora was clumsily working the register and taking orders, Kairi rushed around to make the special drinks on the list. It wouldn't be long before Sora could manage making them, but for now, while it was that busy, he needed to stick to the easy stuff. "Hey Kairi! Is Riku in the kitchen?" Kairi swung around, looking for the source of the voice, spotted Axel, and waved managing to spill a caramel hot chocolate on her apron.

"Yeah Axel, he's back there baking _something,"_ Kairi said with an eye roll. Axel chuckled and gave her a nod, heading behind the counter and coming around to walk into the kitchen where Riku was working at the counter kneading dough of some sort.

"Hey there Riku," Axel greeted as he slunk up to the counter.

The other man turned and gave a light smile with a soft, "Hey," for a greeting and then continued to knead the dough.

"The place looks pretty busy today. How's the newbie? Break him in yet," Axel said with a bit of a teasing tone.

Riku shrugged off the double meaning of the question and simply answered, "Yeah, Wednesdays tend to be a bit hectic, not really sure why, but Sora is handling it pretty well. Kairi is just showing him the different pastries we have and letting him operate the register. Tomorrow during our slow hours she will start to show him how to make the drinks and use the different machines." He shrugged, "As for me I'm just making some dough for bread. We are running out, and I don't want to be under stocked in sandwiches. What about you Axel? You surely have something to tell me, I can feel the enthusiasm radiating off of you," he said with an eye roll and a smile. Riku always found some sort of amusement from Axel's antics.

"We have been selected to receive the Noble Prize." He paused dramatically. "Well… Ansem has, but it's for my project, can you believe this Riku? We are going to Switzerland!" Axel exclaimed throwing his fists into the air in pure excitement. "They're giving us the Nobel Prize for Genetics." Axel began to excitedly pace around the kitchen. "We have been working on this project forever, well, Roxas' project is really only part of a bigger whole that Ansem and Xemnas have been working towards…you already knew that… but I'm a part of this, and I have helped earn the prize, so Ansem is taking us. He said he couldn't have done it without me, and I'm just," Axel bit his lip smile stretching across his face, "I'm just really excited and I guess proud of myself. Receiving this prize will bring global recognition to the project, and I'm sure the facility as well as the research will expand. It will change our lives. Medical experts will be asking _me_ for advice; do you understand how important this is?"

"No," Riku said flatly hardly taking his attention from the dough he was intently kneading.

Axel stopped and came beside Riku, "It's been my biggest dream since I was a child. That's how important it is. Ever since seeing it in the text books I've always wanted it. And as I said, I am not directly receiving it, but I have helped earn it, so I'm proud."

"Pretty sad dream Axel," Axel tilted his head, deflating a bit with the comment.

"What? What do you mean Riku," He laughed a little, trying to shake off the negative feeling.

Riku stopped and turned his head up towards Axel's direction, "I mean it's pretty fucking sad that your lifelong dream has been to win a fucking prize for Ansem. Big fucking deal, some dumb shits in Switzerland want to give you some prize! Just shut the fuck up Axel! I don't want to hear about that fucking project, or how fucking proud Ansem is of you! The stuff you do up there is screwed up as it is." Riku snapped, sending him a harsh glare. Axel was dumbfounded, feet cemented to the floor. His mouth hang and he tried to say something, words never forming. Suddenly Riku realized what exactly he just done. He blinked, snarl going limp and turning to a concerned expression. "Axel," he said softly. Axel didn't answer. "Axel, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it… I just… I snapped you know? The stuff done in those facilities isn't fucked up or anything… I'm just… I guess I'm just bitter…" There was no answer, Axel turned from Riku and headed for the door. "Wait, Axel," Riku dropped the dough and turned to go forward, running into the counter and cussing. "Axel, I'm sorry, don't leave…"

"Stop Riku," Axel shook his head. "Don't apologize, because I know you meant it." Axel stayed quiet for a moment, "I know you disapprove of what we do in the facility, and I know you fucking hate Ansem, but get over it Riku. Don't put me down because you're pissed you never had a relationship with him, I never had a fucking father either, get over it." The two stood there in silence for a moment. "All I wanted to do was tell you, I _was_ excited. Don't make me keep my work at the facility from you because the facility is more than just a job to me, you know that, and I can't control it." Riku didn't say anything; there was nothing to say, so he merely began to knead dough.

"I'm proud of you Axel," Axel left the room. "I just wish I had what you do…"

҉

Axel was furious; he had a terrible case of road rage, and now was storming down the hall, taking the back way to the third floor stair case. He was going to pop into the labs. Sitting around and looking through the programs tended to calm him down, or at least momentarily direct all the energy he had towards something productive. He was about the reach the stair case when he roughly made impact with another body causing him to stumble backward, the other person completely falling to the floor and sending their stack of books everywhere. Axel caught his balance, about to turn and growl a few choice words at the other person when he realized it was Roxas. The blonde sat up and rubbed his head. The textbook he had been carrying had landed on his stomach leaving him completely winded. "A-Axel?" Roxas wheezed dizzily. Axel immediately came over to the blonde and pulled him up, causing the other to once again wobble and try to regain his balance.

"Jesus, Roxas," Axel said dusting off the boy, and then bending down to pick up his books. "Are you okay?" Roxas gave him a weak smile and a nod.

"Just a bit disoriented I guess."

"Jeez," Axel sighed, "I'm sorry, this is my fault."

"No, not really," Roxas answered, he gave a small shrug. "I saw you coming. I should have walked faster to get out of your way."

"And I should have watched where I was going." The boy laughed a little. Axel watched him, the rage he had felt moments before melted. Axel felt at peace, and then it clicked, he might as well stay with the blonde for a little while. It would take the edge off his bad mood; Roxas was probably going on a lunch break anyways.

"Hey Rox," The blonde stopped laughing and looked up at Axel expectantly, "Where ever you're going, mind if I join you?"

Roxas nodded and shot him a bright smile, "Yeah… I'd like that."

It wasn't exactly the most extravagant lunch Axel ever had. He excused himself for a moment to go down to the café to grab a sandwich. Roxas sat on the loveseat, his lunch in front of him on the coffee table as he waited for Axel to return. Axel came back in and sat down next to the blonde who was already starting with his sandwich. They sat there and happily made conversation about how their days were going. Axel of course left out the parts with Riku and the news from Ansem, basically lying about the course of the day's events. Roxas informed Axel about the reading lesson with Tifa and how he wasn't allowed to move on to any other subjects until he could read at a sixth grade level and pass the examination with a perfect score. Apparently the first exam was Friday, and he wasn't expected to pass. Tifa would use the test to see where her teaching was lacking so she could patch the holes and get him on to bigger and better things. As for reading, Roxas explained that he needed to read the little mermaid book since he had only looked at the pictures the previous night.

"I could always help you read it," Axel suggested. The two had been sitting there, done with lunch, merely talking and thinking about what they had to do for the rest of the day.

"Yeah you could." Roxas shrugged. "I feel like I should be reading it on my own though, so I don't know." Axel smiled and nodded. "I've been thinking a lot lately, about what you told me and what Doctor Ansem said. I need to learn and do it one my own. I want to be the best." Axel gave him a proud smile.

"I'm glad you have decided that. I imagine you will do perfectly." The Blonde gave a light laugh; he was a lot happier than he was that same morning. "So where are you heading next?" Axel asked, he was expecting the boy to go back to reading, but Xemnas also had control of the schedule thus it was very possible he would go to something else.

"I guess in that other room right down the hall," Roxas gestured to the hall containing his bed room and gym, "It's a class with Terra, a gym and health class I guess."

Axel nodded, "That's an important class. I remember having something similar... but I thought you weren't starting any other classes till you could read?"

"Well I guess Ansem… wait…you had classes like these? I thought normal children went to school and their parents taught them most of the basic stuff."

"Well they did," Axel added quickly, "But I still had a gym and health class…" Axel trialed off, looking at the blonde for a moment and then quickly averted his eyes. Roxas was giving him a very critical look, as if he was examining him, after a second or so he leaned back in the seat and sighed.

"What was it like to grow up Axel?" Axel remained quiet, giving a small shrug. Roxas curiously looked at him, from the lack of response.

"I don't know…" He started, not really finding the words, "Boring I guess. I uh…" Axel just shrugged and looked at Roxas. His face wasn't showing it, but the green eyes couldn't hide the hurt Roxas bit his lip; it had been a bad question. Roxas leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Axel, there was a moment of shock as Axel sat there with Roxas' arms around him, but then he smiled, returning the embrace. They parted and Roxas stared up at the redhead, the blue eyes pulled Axel into their depths. "What was that for?" Axel asked turning his expression to a smirk.

"It was a hug; you do it to comfort friends." Roxas said softly. It was at that moment that the atmosphere in the room shifted. They pair were looking at each other, Prussian blue being absorbed into the green a magnetic pull between the two. Roxas didn't know what was happening but felt himself leaning into the redhead, face flushing. Axel brought a hand to the others cheek and caressed it softly. The door swung open.

"Hey Rox, I'll be in the gym setting up. Go change okay?" Axel swung around, knocking the blonde back, luckily Terra had come in busy clicking as his watch. The man looked up and waved. "Hey there Doctor. If your need him that's fine, just have him come in when he is done."

Thank the lord that the situation had worked out in Axel favor. Axel simple stood up and returned the smile to the man, keeping his cool. "Nope, he is all yours." The other nodded and proceeded to the gym. Axel looked back to Roxas who was sitting there with a confused glare plastered on his face. Axel pursed his lips, what had commenced moments ago was completely inappropriate and should have been allowed to happen. In fact Axel wasn't sure where the sudden urge had come from. "Roxas?" The blonde looked up at him questioningly. Axel paused a moment, being caught in the blue eyes, he smiled softly. "I'll see you later tonight." Roxas nodded and got up walking quickly to his room and closing the door. Axel shook his head, this wasn't good.

҉

Once inside his room Roxas closed his eyes and leaned back against the door, letting his knees cave out from under him, he slid down until he was seated there. His heart felt like it was beating a thousand times more rapid than normal. What just happened? The way Axel had been looking at him drew Roxas in, the mere memory caused his cheeks to flush. Roxas didn't understand. There was a knock on the door behind him, "Hey Roxas, hurry up and get changed. I'll be waiting for you. Put on some loose fitting pants and close toed shoes." It was Terra.

Roxas let out a soft, "Okay," and listened as the other man went back to the gym. Roxas sighed letting his eyes fall closed for a moment and then getting up. He went over the drawer and pulled out the baggy pair of shorts, removing his white pants and slipping them on. He then pulled on the tennis shoes. Roxas didn't feel up to going to class, but he knew he had no choice remembering what he was. Roxas left the room and headed to the gym where Terra was waiting for him, the room full of different types of equipment that Roxas had never seen before.

"Hey." The man was inspecting the equipment with a pleased smile, giving a small wave to Roxas as he came in. Terra turned and addressed the blonde again after he finished gawking at the machines. "We're going to start with wellness and health." Roxas nodded stepping further into the room and letting the door click closed. Terra fumbled through his stuff and pulled out a book for Roxas, who merely turned it over in his hands a few times looking at the front and back cover. Roxas cracked the binding of the book, opening to a random section in the middle and was confronted with a diagram, causing him to blink a bit.

"Terra?" Roxas asked quietly, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. "What is this about?" Terra came over to Roxas sighing and laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, part of my job is to teach you about the reproductive system. You're going to learn it in Biology but I have to teach it to you as well. It's a part of maintaining good health. You know, hygiene, socialization, drug use… although I can't see you using… but…" As Terra went off on a tangent Roxas just stared at the image, and then turned the page and began to flip through the rest of the book, which he found to be strikingly thinner than his other text books. "Why don't we start with the book?" Terra walked over to the table and motioned him over, "I frankly hate teaching it, so we might as well get it over with. We will divide our time between the book and using the equipment, okay?" Roxas followed, turning to the first page. The rest of the lesson was spent putting Roxas on a workout routine. It wasn't until later that Roxas joined Tifa in the library the strange lesson was dancing around his mind.

҉

Axel was on the complete other side of the building working on the presentation with Xemnas. He had been reflecting on the afternoons events, concluding that the almost kiss was a result of pent up rage and that he really had no desire to kiss the boy, let alone any sexual feelings for him. He repeated that in his head yet a small part of him called the bluff. He was scheduled to go down and talk with Roxas during a period of time called, 'Guidance.' He really wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing since the boy was still fresh to the world and didn't have any deep inner conflict. He also knew that sometimes doctor Even would have to take over that shift due to his schedule which seemed to be getting busier, thus the change of councilor might throw the blonde off. There were a lot of patients coming in lately, and Axel helped maintain the cells in labs two and three to check to make sure each developed into a perfect zygote. He was permitted to terminate anyone that was deformed, and some of the cells just didn't take to each other. Axel wasn't the only one who monitored the lab, in fact this week he hadn't been up there due to Roxas' project taking off. For the male couples and women who could not carry their own children lab three housed the tanks with the growing fetuses. Coincidently Xemnas had left prior in the evening to check tank 24, the parents were coming in at five to see the fetus, so he had to make sure everything was in top shape, god help him if they walk in and it's dead. Axel finished up work around six and headed down for a coffee and then to wait for Roxas. Roxas came in a little late, dinner and Axel already waiting for him at the table. "Axel?" Roxas startled upon seeing the other man on the couch, but the startle turned into a broad smile. "I didn't expect you to be here so early."

"I got finished with my work early, so I decided to come down and see you." Axel shrugged. "Me talking to you is actually part of your schedule," he informed, watching Roxas from the corner of his eye as he took a sip of his coffee. The other smiled momentarily, "So any new striking information to share with me?"

"Oh, oh! You wouldn't believe what I learned today." Axel raised a curious brow at the blonde, cueing him to continue. "Sex." Roxas stated bluntly. The redhead's confused expression was quickly falling into a smile, laughter threatening to come out as Roxas nodded sagely, repeating what he had said. "Sex, I know everything about it now."

"Sex?" Axel asked.

"Yes Axel, sex."

Axel turned away, eyebrows raised; he was trying to keep a serious expression while holding back his laughter. "So you know everything about sex?"

"Yes I do." The funniest part, for Axel, was the blonde's dead serious expression that he kept the whole time. Roxas believed that knew everything about the subject.

Axel brought a hand up and rested his chin against it, looking off into the middle distance. The pitch of his voice was a tad higher as he forced back a laugh, "So, uh, who taught you about sex?"

"Terra did," Roxas said shaking his head, "He has a whole book about it. There are pictures and everything."

"Pictures of sex?"

"Penises Axel," That was it, Axel could _not_ keep in his laughter anymore, and almost threw himself off the couch as he doubled over. Roxas raised his eyebrows at the redhead. "Axel? Why are you laughing?"

"Because of you," Axel sent Roxas a large grin, "You're so freak'in serious."

"I am serious," The blonde said raising his voice a little, he was getting embarrassed and slightly annoyed that Axel would laugh at him.

"I know you are that's what's funny!" Axel sat up, catching his breath and giving him an apologetic smile. "It's just… Roxas you know nothing about sex." Roxas furrowed his brows, angry at the accusation. He surely did know what it was; he had spent a whole two hours with Terra learning about it! Axel sighed at the angry face Roxas was giving him and leaned back in the love seat, "If you know so much about it, then tell me Roxas."

Roxas blinked, shocked from being put on the spot, then folded his arms and stuck his nose in the air. "Sex is what girls and boys do together to make a baby…" He looked at Axel who was donning a wolfish grin. The blonde flushed and dropped a bit, "Do I have to say specifically what they do?" Axel nodded, folding his arms in the same fashion as the blonde did, and taking joy in the blush that had risen to Roxas' cheeks. His brows furrowed, "Well the boys put their… well it's kinda like…" Roxas mumbled the last few words. Axel just gave him a hearty chuckle shaking his head making the boy give him an angry glare once again but the rage was far outweighed by the embarrassment.

"You're not wrong Roxas. You have the concept but you're forgetting something important," Axel shrugged, "Or maybe you weren't told." Roxas looked at Axel waiting to be told the answer; he didn't want Axel to laugh at him anymore so instead of arguing he simply listened. "Two people have sex when they love each other Roxas. And it doesn't have to be a man and a woman, it can be two men, or two women as well."

"But two people of the same gender can't make a baby… I don't understand why they would have sex."

Axel shook his head laughing again. "Love Roxas. They do it out of love."

"Love?" the blonde questioned.

"Yes… and it feels pretty good too." Axel blurted with a chuckle. The blondes face scrunched up in disgust.

"It does?" Axel nodded. Roxas raised a brow at the elder male, "And how would you know? Have you had sex before?" Now it was Axel's turn to blush. Anywhere else he would have proudly admitted that yes, he was not a virgin and had a number of different sexual partners in his life but in front of Roxas, someone who was completely innocent, Axel couldn't help but feel guilty. Axel gave Roxas a steady nod as a reply, the blonde in return thought about this and signed. "I suppose I'm the only one in the whole facility who hasn't, right? Sex is a common thing?" Axel had to keep from laughing and simply gave another nod. "Right," Roxas said looking down and blinking, he then looked back at Axel. "Then it's my goal to have sex too. I want to know what it's like."

Axel startled at the declaration, "Roxas," Axel quickly cut in, "That's a terrible goal. Sex isn't something you just go out and do, you have to find someone you love first. When you love someone it's much more special." Roxas stared up at Axel.

He was embarrassed once again, biting his lip and shrugging. He hated being wrong. "Okay Axel." The two sat quiet for a moment. There wasn't much to say after the awkward sex conversation, yet Roxas felt like there was so much more. Axel looked at his watch, it was getting late, but he wasn't ready to leave the blonde. "What do you do when you're not here at the facility?" Roxas asked, he had been watching Axel and noticed that he checked the time. "When you leave where is it that you go?"

"Home," Axel stated.

"…Oh, I heard about that place..." Roxas smiled, "A place where only you and your family live, right?" The redhead nodded. "Tell me about it…" Roxas said relaxing back into the loveseat.

Axel paused a moment, watching Roxas, "I have a place in the city. My friend Riku has a teashop, above it was empty so we renovated it to a house and live there together."

"Tea shop?" Roxas repeated, cocking his head to the side.

"Yeah, it's uh… It's like a store. He makes different types of foods and drinks there, tea being the most popular, and sells them to people." Roxas' eyes widened at the suggestion.

"Wow, could I go there sometime? I want to see your store and house." He smiled, "It sounds really cool."

Axel gave him a weak smile, "Maybe someday you can, but I'm not sure that will be anytime soon." The boy drooped slightly; he understood what Axel meant completely.

"Its fine," he said, "It's not your fault." The two paused. "So, what's your friend like?" Roxas asked curiously.

"Riku?" Axel chuckled, "He's an asshole- oh… I meant that he's not very nice. He teases me a lot and we fight, but it's because we are both stubborn." Axel paused, "He, uh… he is blind."

"What's that mean?"

"Blind?" Axel asked, the blond simply nodded, "It means that he can't see… his eyes don't work." Roxas' eyes widened, he couldn't imagine it.

"That's terrible." He said softly. "Why? What happened?"

"Nothing really happened. He was just born that way." Roxas nodded

"Is that common, to be born blind?"

Axel shrugged, "Nah, not really. Most of the time people come to places like this facility and have their babies checked. If they have the gene that causes it then they are terminated."

"Terminated? As in they die?" Axel nodded, observing the change from shock go to repulsion in Roxas' face. "That's terrible Axel. He could have never been born."

"Yeah I know and so does he. His father is a pretty famous guy so it's shocking that he is still here."

"Who is his father?"

There was a delay in response time. Axel pondered the idea of telling Roxas, there really was no harm in it, but then again it was the doctor's privet life… "Doctor Ansem." He stated slowly. Roxas' eyebrows rose so fast one could have sworn they would shoot right off his forehead.

"That guy has a son? Wait, he has a wife?"

"Had a wife. And yeah, but she died. Don't ask me how, I don't know." The redhead shrugged, "But no more personal questions about Doctor Ansem, okay."

"Alright," Roxas gave a nod; their time together was drawing to a close. The remainder of their time was spent chatting about Roxas' classes and the stuff he had learned that day. Roxas' told him about the teachers he had met, there were four new ones and all of them made him a bit nervous, but Axel reassured him that after a while it would be fine.

"Roxas," The petite burnet nurse popped her head in the door. She came in when seeing Axel there too. "Sorry to disturb you two, but Xemnas send me to check if you were in bed."

"Oh," Axel checked his watch, "Is it really that late?" It was ten O'clock, the redhead blinked surprisingly at his watch; he had been there for at least four hours. Axel looked towards Roxas, who was giving him a questing look. "We went over our time Roxas; I have to leave you now. I'm like… half an hour over what we're allowed."

"Alright," Roxas sighed, standing up from the seat. "I'll see you tomorrow Axel." He gave the other a soft smile, and then headed back to his room.

Axel watched him walk, sighing as he collected his things, "Xemnas wants to talk to you." Aerith stated giving him a small smile, she was always smiling. "You know how that man is, always a grump, although he didn't say if it was good new or bad."

"Okay Aerith, thanks for the heads up," Axel chuckled; Xemnas was probably one of the scariest men in the facility. He waved to her, and the two departed, closing Roxas' door for the night.

҉

Love. Love. Love. That word kept popping up. Love, what is it? Roxas removed his shirt and pants. He sat on the edge of the bed and peeled off his socks, the dot of brown between his toes greeting him. But he paid no mind to it and discarded the articles into the basket. He returned to his bed, telling the blue screen to turn the lights off, which it did, and laying down and closing his eyes. The blue screen bid him good night in a white blinking text. Its harsh light caused his eyelids to form interesting patterns in the darkness matching his thoughts. Axel. He wished the redhead could have stayed. He became bored when he was alone, not that he was alone often, but still. Love… The blonde sat up and asked the screen to turn on his lights, which it did, and he looked around the room and sighed. The white binding of a book caught his attention. And he remembered the story, the images. Axel had told him it was a love story. There is was again, love. He got from his place on the bed and stretched to get the book, cracking open the binding and looking down at the image of the pale woman with black flowing hair. _The Little Mermaid_, a love story. He nestled back into the pillows and read. He cried. He cried when he realized how distance she was from the prince, the longing she had to be able to walk with him. And he cried when he held her in his arms, but most of all he cried when the princess came, and the prince longed for her. He cried with her and for her as she cast herself to the swallowing foam of the sea. He cried for her. He cried almost two hours before he cried himself to a state of calmness where a redheaded man hushed him, and lulled him to sleep. The blue screen turned off the lights.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, I really wanted to post this and couldn't wait for Monday, so here it is. I'll be honest I am becoming very discouraged by the lack of reviews I have gotten. If you are reading you really should review, tell me if it's good, or give tips or ideas, even if you don't like it. I appreciate your interest, keep reading! Also I don't own any of these characters but you all know that.**

_"Someone's coming. Someone's coming. Someone's coming." They swam around in zigzag patterns, swimming away and then back to the shore. "He is coming." Their whispers were rapid, but there was no hint of fear or excitement. It was a dull monotone whisper repeated by the four golden fish over and over. I leaned over the bank watching them, listening, and stirring the water with my fingers. They swam so fast that at times their dorsal fins would break the water's surface, bumping into my hand carelessly, or each other. "Who's coming, I don't understand." I asked them, but their rapid chanting never ceased. The sky had shifted from a purple to a stunning red. The sun sat motionless behind the mountains sending rays of light zooming through the sky. The light touching the earth was a warm golden. "I've never seen the sun like this." I said to them. The fish paused, slowing their rapid pace to an effortless swim. "Someone's coming." One of them said. I opened my mouth to answer him, but then knew what they were speaking of. I felt him behind me and turned curiously, slowly coming to a stand. "I've been waiting for you." The man said. He was familiar. It washed over me like a flame; a burning heat that spread from the pit of my stomach like a wildfire through my body. I was being drawn to him like a magnet, not resisting in the least. I was in his arms, mouth closing over his hungrily, as he pulled me flush against him to keep me in place, tight as if I would leave at any given moment. It was like a bottomless hunger, the more I felt of him the more I craved to feel and touch. The fish were quiet, they had swam off to the center of the lake and a warm breeze was coming in from the west. Our lips parted and he held my cheeks to look into my eyes. "I've been waiting for you."_

Roxas jerked awake, he had dreamt last night there was no denying it although the dream itself was too clouded to remember. The only think he could recall was the feeling of hands rubbing down and across his body. There was a throbbing between his legs and Roxas was very confused as to what was happening. He could hardly control the rapid intake of breath, although it was calming down, his heart pounded. Roxas curiously peeked under the blanket to verify his suspicions, nodding and throwing his head back again frustrated when he realize he was erect. Roxas covered his face with his hands; although he was alone he was still mortified. He had a dream and woke up hard, but he really wasn't sure why. Sure Terra had explained this stuff, but once you have one, what do you do with it? The friction between his member and the bedding was unbearable causing him to let out a soft gasp, realizing that with friction came pleasure, and Roxas was eager to feel more of that. Roxas sat up and nervously reached his hand down the front of his boxers biting his lip as he made contact with the burning hot skin, and grabbing on lightly. He let his head fall back onto the pillow and gave moan as he slowly pumped his hand up and down. The heat spread throughout his body and he began to pump fast, eagerly although a bit shaky. He let out a couple loud moans, there was a pressure building up under his belly button making him feel like he was going to burst. And with a few more clumsy strokes he climaxed making a mess of his hand and clothing. Roxas laid there panting, he was slowly catching his breath and letting his eyes fall closed. He could see the redhead standing there smiling at him, and with a gasp sat up. He liked the redheaded doctor, but was it okay to think about him after doing something like that? Roxas bit his lip, realizing the mess he had made of himself and quickly peeled the blankets back, standing, pulling off his boxers and wiped himself off on a clean area of the fabric. He scowled at the mess in his hand. Roxas walked to the bathroom embarrassed, and threw his boxers in the dirty clothes hamper, hoping that whoever cleaned them wouldn't notice. He then went to the shower where a washcloth was neatly folded on the edge, took it to the sink and quietly wiped himself clean, feeling a little better when he was done, and went to go crawl back into bed. The clock read five thirty and in a half an hour or so he would have to get out of bed anyways. Roxas sighed and rolled onto his side away from the harsh blue light of the screen. He had dreamt, but failed to recall the dream. Axel was nice to him. He explained everything, and seemed to understand him and truly accepted him as a person, regardless of how naïve and ignorant he was. He wanted to talk to Axel about it; Axel would know what happened and explain everything. Roxas drifted off a while later, waking up again when the alarm sounded and mindlessly walking to the bathroom to bathe and dress himself for the day. He quickly came out into the living area where he expected to see the redhead waiting for him. But Axel wasn't there. Nurse Xion came in a little while later; she was a short oriental woman about Roxas' height with a fairly young face. She brought him his breakfast and set it on the table for him.

"Do you need anything else Roxas?" She asked softly, the woman's voice was comparable to a mouse squeak.

"No, not really. When will Axel be here?" Roxas asked picking up a bowl of what looked like little oat hoops floating in milk.

"He won't be in this morning," She said, "He had business to take care of, and may be busy for the next few days."

"What do you mean?" he blurted, about dropping his bowl. He needed to talk to the redhead right now. "He won't be in to see me today?"

"Roxas, I'm sorry," The woman said softly coming to sit next to him, "Axel is very busy." Roxas bit his lip, looking down into his cereal bowl. He wanted to see the redhead now, he had to ask what happened to him.

"He didn't mention that yesterday…Who will be doing my guidance session tonight?" Roxas' heart sank, he suddenly was overcome with grief and had to fight back tears, although the nurse didn't notice. The feeling reminded him of the book he read the previous night.

"You will have a supervised free time until nine thirty," the woman said. Roxas didn't say anything; instead of talking he silently ate his breakfast. He just gave an obedient nod. When he finished with breakfast he followed the ebony haired nurse to the library for his lesson. Today he was starting with science; the lesson would last until noon, and Roxas knew he was going to become restless. The teacher was new, he had a bluish grey hair cut asymmetrically and a pair of thick rimmed glasses pushed up his nose. He introduced himself as Zexion, a college professor who had studied in a few different fields and was ready to share his knowledge with the blonde. But first the basics. What is science, how does one experiment and why? What is happening today in the science field? Roxas was interested, but spacey and tried to remain polite by being engaged in the lesson, it would please the doctors.

"I'm going to plant some seeds," Zexion said, pulling out a few very large books. "I want you to flip through these books and also," the man got back into his bag, pulling out a flower pot and bag of seeds. "We are going to plant some literal seeds." Zexion emptied the package onto the table and little thin black things sat in a pile. "They are marigolds, it's a flower. We are going to learn about plants and parts to a plant, starting with growing one. How do plants grow Roxas?"

"What do you mean by a plant?"

Zexion paused and looked at the boy, the question was genuine and the man was concerned, "They are green, and come out of the ground, ring any bells?" Roxas shook his head. Zexion sighed, thinking a moment and then spotting the large glass window. "Come on Roxas." He stood and motioned the blonde to follow, leading him to the window. Roxas pressed his face to the glass in awe, "All of the green out there is plants." Zexion walked over to the little side Exit door and held it open. "Roxas, come on." The blonde, who was busy scanning the outside through the window smiled hugely when he realized that Zexion was allowing him to go outside. Roxas rushed over standing at the open door, being greeted by the warm breeze. He took a few steps outside, looking around him. There were trees and flowers, and above him stretched blue sky that wrapped until he couldn't see any farther. In the distance were buildings, lots of very tall buildings. The sky over that area was a cloudy grey, but here it was blue with dots of birds flying above. "What you're standing on is called grass." Zexion pointed to the tree, "That's a tree, and the green on top of it are leaves." Zexion bent down and plucked a tulip. "This is a flower." Roxas smiled at him

"It's beautiful out here."

"It is a beautiful day, but sadly we have to head back inside. You are not permitted to be out here, I'm breaking the rules." Roxas drooped at the suggestion but followed the man back indoors. Roxas sat down at the table and opened up one of the large books Zexion had laid out for him. Suddenly something red caught his eye. Roxas looked up and saw Axel across the library, he was looking through whatever it was on the shelf, bent over until he saw the one he wanted and pulled it out. Once the large warn out book was in his hands he never took his eyes from it and weaved his way through the library and disappeared out of sight. Roxas had the urge to jump up and chase after him. Chair sliding back to stand, but was interrupted by Zexion who began in on what a plant was and what they needed to do in order to make it grow. Roxas obediently turned his attention back to Zexion and began to plant a few seeds, selecting the red daisy to plant in with the marigolds. The lesson dragged on and for the last portion of the time Roxas looked through the book with Zexion, being told that they were his to keep and that he was to flag each page that he was interested in learning about. Roxas sat there idly flipping through the book and looking at the pictures of Dinosaurs and the layers of the earth's crust, eyes drifting up to where Axel disappeared to. Roxas desperately wanted to get up and go find the redhead. "That's it for today Roxas, I want you to continue looking at those books and I will see you Monday." Zexion said, giving Roxas a light smile.

"Monday? What about Friday, Saturday, and Sunday? Don't I see you then?" Roxas asked not at all worried, he really didn't want to come to class anymore then he had to although he did get into the subjects and enjoyed learning.

"Nope," Zexion paused in his packing, "I suggest you check the schedule," he said calmly. "I think your escort is here Roxas." Roxas turned and was greeted by the black haired mousey nurse.

"Ready?" Xion asked. Roxas grabbed his books off the table and gave her a nod. She lead him out of the room and back to his. He knew the way, it was a very short distance, but he let her be in control. Once inside she left him to his own devices stating she would be back with his lunch soon. Roxas was sitting on the couch, he was bored now and his thoughts were creeping up to him. What was Axel doing that he couldn't be in to see him for the next few days? Roxas was sad, the room was dull, his classes were interesting enough, but nothing evoked happiness in him like the redhead did. The pain he felt sparked the memory of the story he read. A love story. He wanted Axel around him, like the mermaid wanted the prince. Roxas choked back his tears. He leaned back and sunk into the couch, an idea suddenly came to him. He was alone now, and could easily go out and find Axel. Roxas got up; he was hesitant about the idea, knowing that he would get into trouble, but what could they really do to him? If he wanted to leave how they could stop him, no one was here… Roxas walked over to the glass door looking out. Guilt hit him. He wasn't supposed to go. Axel told him that when he left before he had been worried, and he didn't want to worry the redhead. On the other hand he was seeking out the redhead so Axel wouldn't really be worried. The hall was empty; he had the chance of getting far enough. This time he knew not to take the hall, the one doctor from before would surely recognized him and then he would be in for it. Roxas slowly opened the door, stepping out and letting it softly click closed. He then headed for the heavy door of the library, pushing it open slightly and peeking inside. There was a person but it was someone he didn't recognize, he figured that if he walked quickly enough there was a chance he could get by. Suddenly Roxas heard footsteps coming down the hall. It was probably the nurse coming with lunch. Roxas quickly bolted inside the door closing it as softly as he could so he wouldn't alert her. He looked around; there was a lot of open space to cover so he walked along the back edge where there were rows of shelves to conceal him. On the other side of the library were two doors, a small single door like the one he had come in on the other side, and a big pair of oak wooden doors. Roxas headed towards the unfamiliar oak ones pushing them open and finding himself confronted with an area busy with people. To one side was a small glass room with a counter displaying food. On the other side was another glass room with rows and rows of shelves containing toys, cards, and flowers. Roxas walked out looking around at the place. There were a few people waiting in chairs and a woman dressed in white at a circular desk. Roxas turned around about to go back into the library, opening the door and peeking in. Nurse Xion was there speaking with the unfamiliar man Roxas passed, she looked worried. He quickly closed the door looking around the large room and taking a few steps into it. There was a large wall with the word 'Auditorium A1' written across it, dark entrances on either side. Roxas could hear the echo of voices in there, it sounded familiar like doctor Ansem. Roxas was about to proceed inside when he felt the force of a body come in contact with his back knocking him forward onto the floor.

"Sorry bout that kiddo." The man said, Roxas didn't even have time to figure out what happened before he was pulled back up onto his feet standing dizzily. "Gotta watch were you're stand'in, ya know? Don't wanna get in folks way too much or they'll plow ya over, like I did." Roxas shook his head and looked up at the man. He was tall and tan with a long swooping black ponytail and white stripe down the center. There was a reddish scar across his face and a black patch over his eye. He wore a dirty white tee shirt with a black dress coat pulled over it and a pair of faded blue jeans. There was a camera case slung over his shoulder, large black camera hung around his neck. "Hey what's your name kid? You look a bit…out of place." The man was watching him curiously, a devilish smirk spread across his lips.

Roxas was beginning to feel uncomfortable by the new comer who was not only watching him, but looking him up and down. "Um, my name is Roxas… do you know what's going on in there?" Roxas averted his eyes nervously motioning to the auditorium, there was a tall black haired guard eyeing them suspiciously. "I uh… I think I'm going to head inside." Roxas blurted when the older man didn't answer. He quickly turned to leave but his wrist was caught but the other male.

"Where ya think you're going blondie? You're a bit too cute to be wandering out alone, don't ya think?" The man pulled him in by the wrist, smiling fiendishly. "But you don't need ta worry about that any. Why don't you come back to my place? I'll keep you safe." Roxas could see the security guard walking over at a fast pace. Inside the auditorium Ansem's voice echoed his concluding words as he made way for his colleague, Axel, to speak. The crowd was clapping, Roxas needed to get in there. The greasy man was coming down close to his face, he had been speaking but Roxas wasn't listening, instead he watched the guard approaching them. He couldn't let the guard grab him. Then it was game over. Roxas turned his head from the greasy man as he tried to plant a kiss on his lips. He had to think fast, as if by instinct the blonde lifted his foot and kneed him in the crotch. The other man yelped and stumbled back looking up at Roxas with fire in his eyes. Roxas immediately ducked away from him and headed for the auditorium doors. Axel's voice was coming from the room and Roxas desperately needed to get in there. He wanted Axel to hold him and keep the man away, regretting his choice to leave his room. He was about there when the greasy man grabbed onto him by his hair. Roxas let out a yelp in pain, turning slightly and looking and the rage in his eye. A fist rose to land a blow on the blonde when suddenly a burly black haired guard grabbed onto his arm, securing it behind his back. His companion was about to take Roxas' arm as well when Roxas made a sudden bolt into the auditorium tripping and falling in the aisle. Axel, who was going over the details of the specialization on the gestation tanks used to produce Roxas, paused mid-sentence squinting to see the blonde in the crowd. He had already caused a disturbance; one man was helping him up, as the other members of the crowd were glaring at him. Ansem stood when seeing the boy; he was furious with the sudden turn of events and was powerless to change them. Axel stood confused, mouth opened. He was trying to form words, but was fairly new at giving presentations on such a large scale as this one and due to the interruption he began to flounder with his words.

"As you can see, he is truly an unruly teenager. He is supposed to be in class right now." Ansem said walking up to the front of the stage, gesturing at Roxas. The comment earned a few chuckles from the crowd. Roxas was brushing himself off upon hearing that and looked up to find a thousand sets of eyes on him. The Doctors on stage were sending him tight lipped fake smiles. And within seconds of Ansem's comment, cameras were being pointed at him, the room illumined with flashes. Roxas was cemented to the ground, paralyzed with fear and shock. "Bring the boy up here," Ansem said to Axel with a slight growl. Axel nodded and quickly came down the stairs on the side of the stage, walking up the aisle and approaching Roxas, who was looking around at everyone and hardly noticed the tall redhead. Axel placed a hand on his shoulder causing Roxas to jump slightly and then relax upon seeing who it was.

"I was looking for you." Roxas said softly. Axel was silent, it was apparent that he was angry with the blonde. In fear of upsetting the redhead further Roxas was quiet. He looked the taller man over and noticed his change in attire. Instead of the normal white coat thrown over a t-shirt he wore a neatly tucked and expensive looking suit that hugged him tight in all the right places. Roxas bit his lip and looked away, thoughts of this morning surfacing in his mind. Roxas quietly walked up onto the stage.

"As you can see the subject is incredibly intelligent. Today is his sixteenth day of life and he can walk and talk, and escape his teachers," The audience chuckled, "Like any other fifteen year old boy or girl. The difference between his brain and a normal brain is that he uses a great deal more of it at a time. For example," The presentation clicked ahead to a new image showing a scan of his brain and the activity. "This is an image of his brain while he is sleeping, to the right is an image of his brain while playing, and the left is while he was learning to walk. It's lit up like a Christmas tree. We all know that humans use every part of their brain, and the ten percent theory is a hoax," The crowd laughed, "But no one uses almost every part of their brain at the same time almost constantly, which makes Roxas' brain scans to be both mind boggling and revolutionary. He is literally constantly learning, even when he is idle his brain scans show that he subconsciously is taking in every detail and storing it." Roxas furrowed his brows, listening to Ansem address the crowd about him as if he wasn't even there. How did they know what his brain did? He cast a wary eye up at Axel who returned it with a stern look, causing the blonde to look away and hang his head nervously. Roxas felt like an animal on display. His eyes drifted up and scanned the crowd as he waited for the presentation to finish. It took around another hour before the presentation was over and Ansem was announcing that refreshments were in the large conference room across the hall. "You did good Axel," Ansem said coming up, patting him on the back a little. His eyes then drifted down towards Roxas, lips pursed, and then looking back at Axel. "The fucking reporters were all over him, so the cats out of the bag. They will want to see him out there. Our sponsors I mean. So why don't you bring him in a bit after you guys have a little chat?" Ansem turned away abruptly and walked down the stairs to the stage where a small crowd of scientist was eagerly waiting for him. Axel took Roxas by the wrist and walked him out the back stage exit on the other side of the room. They were let out into a small narrow hall and Axel stopped and turned towards him. Roxas looked up at the elder apologetically and bit his lip, Axel was infuriated.

"What do you think you were doing?" Axel spat, "You completely ruined the presentation. We weren't going to show you to the sponsors for about a year! And now you will be plastered all over the news!" Roxas opened his mouth, he was trying to say something, but the words wouldn't form. Axel pinched the bridge of his nose looking away from the boy. He turned to say something and then stopped himself, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. "Roxas," Axel said calmly after awhile. "You're in a lot of trouble, and I'm not going to bail you out this time." Roxas let his head hang, tears running down his cheeks. "You know you aren't supposed to go wandering off. You know you were supposed to be in class. Why did you go running off?"

Roxas bit at his lip, wiping the tears off on the back of his hand. He couldn't look up at the redhead. "They said…" Roxas paused, "I was told that I wasn't going to see you… at all… for a while." He looked up at Axel, hesitantly at first and then directly in the eyes. "But I had to talk to you, and I had to see you. I saw you in the library, and I saw which way you took… so I came to find you." Axel just stared down at him, anger melting, although he was still mad. "I'm sorry Axel." Roxas added. The two stared at each other tears slipping down Roxas' cheeks. Axel gave an annoyed sigh and pulled the blonde into a hug, holding him close against his body and rubbing his back gently. Roxas' tears began to pour out, his arms wrapped tightly around Axel as if he would disappear at any second.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" Axel sighed, looking down at the blonde and finding a smile tug at his lips.

"I'm sorry," Roxas mumbled against the fabric of Axel's suit. Axel released the blonde and lifted his chin up with a finger.

"Don't cry," he said warmly wiping his tears with his thumb. "You have to go make your big appearance in there," Axel motioned down the hall. "We don't want them to see you crying, they will think we beat you or something." Axel chuckled, the joke falling flat and Roxas just gave a shrug. After a few minutes to collect their wit, Roxas calmed down and Axel mellowed out from his anger. They walked back into the auditorium, taking a short cut to the conference room on the other side. Once stepping out of the auditorium Roxas was confronted with camera flashes, and a few different microphones being shoved into his face. Roxas blinked a few times, confused as to what was going on, he grabbed Axel's hand quickly. The redheaded man stepped in front of the blonde, putting himself between Roxas and a woman reporter who had wormed her way in and was asking him what is was like to experience so much in such a short amount of life. "Roxas will not be answering any questions for reporters today." Axel stated causing the reporter's voices died down slightly as Axel spoke, "If you wish I could send out Doctor Ansem." The pair turned, Axel quickly ushered Roxas into the big conference room, the crowd closing in like a pack of wolves. They shut the door behind them and relaxed in the laid back environment. The room consisted of Doctors and the facility sponsors as well as politicians and higher class news reporters.

"Axel, Roxas, my boys," Ansem said raising a champing glass to attract their attention. "Come over here, I have someone I want you to meet." Axel and Roxas looked over at Ansem; he was standing by and equally old, balding man. Roxas stood nervously at Axel's side, something felt strange about this man. His acidic amber eyes seemed to glow. "Axel, this is my old colleague Xehanort," Ansem's gaze turned towards Xehanort. The man smiled, his appearance was similar to a sickly rat.

"I've heard a lot about you, Doctor." Axel said politely shaking his hand.

"And I have of you," He paused, "Doctor." He returned his gaze to Roxas. "And this must be your newest addition to the family, am I correct Ansem?"

"As a matter of fact you are. Roxas this is Doctor Xehanort, an old friend of mine." He turned to the other man, "We go way back, don't we Xehanort?" Ansem gave a hearty chuckle, the other laughing lightly as well.

"Too far, as a matter of fact. I am here to inquire about you joining our project again. My facility could use a strong genetic team to help execute our project. It would be like old times."

"Really?" Axel said curiously, liking the idea of being a part of a new project. "And what is it you do?" Xehanort smiled, about ready to speak but was silenced by Ansem's sudden explanation.

"He grows organ donors."

"Yes, well," There was no way for Xehanort to hide the annoyance in his tone, "My facility supplies organs for the entire world. Insurance policies, if you will. It's a very messy and time consuming business. I'm working on a new method." He turned to Ansem. "And I would like to get the team back together. I want to merge facilities and I want you to be my right hand man in this project Ansem." The two elderly men stood there and stared at each other.

Ansem thought about it before he spoke. "Will you be in town much longer Xehanort?" Ansem asked curiously, it was clear that Axel and Roxas were no longer a part of the conversation.

"I can stay as long as you need me to." The man said, lips curling up into a smile.

"Good, then we can meet sometime and talk then." Ansem said giving him a nod. Roxas looked away from the pair, finding that Axel had moved and was now next to Xemnas shaking the hand of a man with slicked back hair and a tight black suit. Roxas scurried away from the elder doctors and went to Axel's side. The man they had been talking to paused.

"Is this him Xemnas?" The man asked. Xemnas gave a quick nod. The man extended a hand to Roxas, who hesitantly shook it. "It's great to finally meet you." The man smiled.

"Roxas," Xemnas cut in, "This is Governor Rick Stanfield."

"Hello Sir." Roxas gave a small smile as he shook his hand. The man then became very engrossed in a conversation about the project with Xemnas.

Axel leaned down to Roxas' ear and whispered, "He is one of the sponsors, meaning he paid for you to be alive…" Roxas cocked a brow at the comment and then looked the man over a second time. The reception only last an hour, anyone who was there to speak to Ansem did so or made appointment to come in and see him. Axel floated around the room making small talk with Roxas glued to his side; it seemed as if the doctors were too fascinated with the boy to talk with him, instead they looked him over discussing the project and his behavior as if he wasn't there, save one female reporter Roxas didn't talk to many people and became quite bored. The reception ended at two for Roxas. Axel notice the extreme lack of interest Roxas displayed for the event and excused himself and the blonde. They walked quietly down the corridor, taking the back way so they could cut through the library. Both were silent for the whole walk back. In all honesty Roxas found himself to be quite tired and absolutely starving. Axel opened the door to Roxas' room, phoning Aerith and telling her that Roxas and he would be taking lunch now. They sat on the love seat and she brought them their food sending a disappointed looked to Roxas, who in return averted eye contact. "Thanks Aerith. Make sure the staff leaves us alone for a while, okay. I need to talk to him." She nodded and left the room quickly. Once they were alone Axel leaned down, picking up the sandwich she had brought for him and began eating. Although he had hid it well at the reception, Axel was indeed still angry with the blonde. Roxas followed suit. She had brought him a soup again and he was starving. He picked up the bowl and the two ate in peace for a while. Once Axel finished he got up, stretching quickly and then removed his coat and tie, flopping back down abruptly and kicking off his polished black dress shoes, legs stretching over the coffee table. Roxas put his bowl down looking over the redhead who was now leaning back with his eyes closed, arms draped on the back of the love seat. "I'm waiting." Axel said softly as he exhaled. "You said you had to talk to me. Well I'm right here now, so talk."

The blonde perked up as if he was waiting for the other to ask. "Well first I have a question about the presentation." The blonde paused and watched the redhead who made no effort to move or show he was listening. "How did you get brain scans?" The redhead reached into his pocket and took out a long curved devise about the size of a pen and set it on the seat next to him.

Roxas picked it up and turned it over in his hands a few times before Axel muttered a soft, "Hand it over," and the blonde set it in his open hand.

"Well it's just…" Roxas wasn't sure what to say now that the redhead was there with his undivided attention on him. "I don't know, I guess when I was told that you weren't going to be in for a few days… I panicked." Roxas shrugged.

"And why's that? I thought you had something important to tell me." Axel wasn't sugar coating things for Roxas for the first time. He wanted to know what was so important that Roxas had to break all the rules and come bursting into his presentation.

"I missed you… I had a dream last night."

"About?"

"You," Roxas stated softly. "At least I think so… I think it was you."

Axel glanced over at the boy from the corner of his eyes. Roxas had pulled his legs up onto the seat and was leaned against the arm of the couch looking perplexedly down at his wiggling toes. "And what happened?" Roxas shrugged. Axel sat up a bit, getting a better look at the blonde. "Tell me Roxas, or I might as well leave."

He wasn't sure what to do or how to explain it and when his eye raised up and saw Axel his heart began to beat furiously. "You had your hands on me. When I woke up, I could still feel them." Roxas held Axel's gaze firmly with his eyes, Axel couldn't look away. "I think about you a lot." Roxas added. "Is this normal Axel? I don't understand what's happening." The worry was plainly printed on Roxas' face.

Axel sighed, he wasn't sure what to do, the part of his brain that was a doctor was screaming at him to get up and leave the room, "Well, it's normal for friends to feel like this for each other, but not a doctor and…" Axel paused. It hit him, the desperate look in the other eyes. The blunder they had the day before. His own feelings. "You might…be confused." Axel finished softly. The two sat there in silence again for a minute.

Roxas was contemplating whether or not to tell him in more detail what went on that morning. He sat there chewing his lip before looking at the redhead and clearing his throat to gain the other's attention. "I uh… I was hard when I woke up. Is that normal?" Axel's face shifted to a pink color, he averted his eyes quickly. No it wasn't normal for a friend to think of a friend that way, let alone an experiment and doctor.

"I have to go." Axel said abruptly standing up, and grabbing his coat.

Roxas stood quickly, completely unsettled by the doctors sudden decision to leave. "No Axel, wait! Please don't go!" Axel made no move to stop collecting his things, bending over to pick up his shoes and put them on, and then heading for the door. Roxas was panicking feeling as if Axel were to walk out of that door he would never come back. "I'm sorry Axel," he blurted. "I'm sorry about what I said. I… I just…" Roxas did the first thing he could think of and seized the redhead's arm, pulling him. When that had no effect he quickly wrapped his arms around the tall man squeezing tight. "Don't leave me." Roxas said into Axel's dress shirt, tears were already flowing down his face. "Please don't leave me Axel. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Something clicked in the blonde's head, his eyes widened and he stared up at the other. "I love you Axel. Like the mermaid from the story and the prince. I know it, I love you. Because I think of you like she thinks of him, and… and I want you around all the time like she did." Roxas gave Axel a desperate smile, clinging still. "I love you, I know it." The blonde's smile was greeted with a look of utter shock from the redhead. Axel didn't know what to do or say. He wanted desperately to make Roxas' tears stop. His heart ached and he wanted to stay with the younger boy, he wanted them to be alone together and to make Roxas smile, but he couldn't, especially with the last outburst. He was overcome with both shock and confusion. Nothing good could come of that.

"I have to go Roxas." Axel said. They stood there for a moment. Roxas' arms wrapped tightly around Axel, when no visible response was received those arms fell down to his sides and Roxas gave one last sad look up at the redhead.

"Okay." Roxas said voice hardly above a whisper. Axel stood there for a few moments longer and then exited the room, locking it this time and leaving the blonde behind him.

Roxas watched him walk down the hall, turning to disappear out of sight. The love seat where Axel sat was still warm. Roxas curled up into a ball on Axel's side of the seat and stared at the white walls silently.

҉

How could he be so stupid? Axel mentally cursed himself. Roxas was probably heartbroken but all Axel could do was leave him and not say anything to the blonde. Axel scribbled his name on the sign out sheet at the front desk and walked quickly out of the building making a beeline for his car. Fumbling with his keys and then unlocking it and getting inside. His head fell limp against the steering wheel. He liked Roxas, but was the risk worth the benefits? Plus if they were to break up what would happen? Roxas was his job practically; a break up would be extremely painful for both of them, so why even try to have a relationship in the first place? Axel sat up and put the key in the ignition, letting the vehicle turn on. He pulled out of the lot and started for home. He needed a quiet place to think. Axel pulled into one of the empty spots in front of the tea shop. Stepping out of the car and being caught by a warm breeze. Axel closed his eyes and let it blow over him. The weather was getting colder now, although there was time before autumn would come. Axel slammed the door shut and proceeded inside. There was a line at the counter of about four people. Kairi had a handle on things and was making a caramel soy latte, giving Axel a quick wave. Axel went behind the counter, looking into the kitchen to spot Riku and Sora. Riku was unnecessarily close next to the other male adding something to the batter. Sora was stirring a bowl, blushing slightly as he watched Riku from the corner of his eyes. Axel didn't spend hardly anytime gawking and quickly went up the stairs. Kicking his shoes off and collapsing on the couch. "What a mess," He muttered, laughing shortly after. A while later Axel herd the door open softly, the person walked in footsteps hardly audible.

"Do you need someone, Axel?" Riku asked softly. "I can tell your upset."

Axel closed his eyes as he heard that, smiling. "Yeah, Riku. I do." The silver haired man walked over silently and sat on the other end of the couch.

"It's about that boy, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Axel nodded, "It is about him. It's been about him for the past twenty years."

"He has feelings for you, doesn't he." Riku stated calmly.

Axel pursed his lips; he didn't understand how Riku could sense everything and be correct all the time. "He uh… he had a dream about me," Axel gave a breathless laugh, "And woke up with… well a hard-on." Riku raised his eyebrows at that and Axel gave a curt nod.

Riku was speechless for a moment, lips curling into a smile and he leaned back against the arm of the couch, "Well, you can look at it this way; at least you know he likes you back…"

"That's for sure."

"And you like him, don't you Axel."

"It's not that simple, Riku." Axel sighed, "I'm his doctor, I can't just decide to start a relationship with him. I would be taking advantage of how naïve he is. I don't want to hurt him." Axel rubbed his brow thoughtfully. "Plus he has the raging hormones of well, a fifteen year old boy. If we start a relationship he will very soon want more than just hugs and kisses, and I can't do that with him. Not only because I am his doctor, but because I am twenty one, it's illegal."

Riku didn't say anything for a while; the idea of what the silver haired man could be turning around in his mind concerned him and after a while of waiting for a response Axel relaxed against the couch, closing his eyes and letting the silence sooth him. "But you're more than just a doctor." Riku stated. "And you wouldn't be held to the court laws if you had a relationship with him, you know that."

"But… if Ansem knew…"

"Fuck Ansem." Riku spat. "Isn't it time you lived your own life without worrying about Ansem and his fucking high as hell expectations?" Axel didn't answer; he bit his lip, thinking about what Riku was suggesting. "Plus, don't you think Roxas should have a life? You and I both know that Ansem will never really let him have a life outside of the facility, like you. Doesn't he need some excitement? If he really likes you and you like him, let him have you." Riku shrugged, "Give him something to live for." Axel looked at Riku. He was right. Roxas would never be allowed to do the things he wanted and knowing the boy and how high spirited he was Roxas would probably become depressed, so why not make him happy? Axel could be the one thing in his life that was his. "Besides Axel. I took your advice, so now it's your turn to take mine."

Axel's lips curled into a smile. "Really now? Which part of the advice did you take?"

"Only part of it," Riku shrugged. "He isn't mine just yet, but he sure is a flirty thing. And I like him." Axel chucked and leaned his head back against the back of the couch.

"At least one of us is happy."

"You should consider it Axel. For Roxas' sake." Axel closed his eyes, nodding.

"I am, just give me some time." He sighed.

"Decide soon Axel, because I bet Roxas is more than just confused and upset right now." Axel gave another nod as a reply and listened as Riku slowly got up from his seat and left the room, door clicking shut behind him. Riku was right. He needed to decide if he really wanted to put his career in jeopardy for a relationship with the blonde. If they were caught then it was game over. Axel sighed.

"What a fucking mess."

҉

Around three a nurse had come in to take Roxas to his class. He had dried his tears by then and had been simply staring at the wall for about twenty minutes. He endured his lessons, which were not boring but at the current moment anything that was not tall, red haired, and green eyed could not keep his attention. Roxas dragged his feet on the way back to his living quarters for dinner. It was some kind of meat with a few stringy green vegetables he had never seen before. It smelled good but he had no appetite causing Roxas to have to force down the meal since the nurse was watching. He then lay on the couch lightly breathing for a while. "Roxas?" Aqua asked softly, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking him lightly. "Are you feeling okay?" Roxas nodded.

"I'm fine Aqua." He said reassuringly. "Just a bit tired." The nurse placed her hand on his forehead, gauging his temperature.

"You don't feel warm… maybe you should go lay down in bed anyways." Roxas didn't argue, he got up from his place on the love seat and walked into his room which was illumined in blue from the screen on the wall. He sat down on the edge, looking into the palms of his hands and then sighed. Bringing his feet up onto the bed, he pulled the blankets over him snuggly so that he was wrapped in a cocoon of warmth. Even with the lights out the room was illuminated in the intense blue light of the screen on the wall. It had written on it: _Today's schedule is…_and then listing the classes and time slots for the day. He rolled over in bed squeezing his eyes tightly closed. Regardless of how tightly he squeezed then he couldn't keep the tears from leaking out. He couldn't stop crying, and he didn't understand why. Why did Axel mean so much to him? He had only really known him for the past four days since the first felt like far off memories. The room's blue atmosphere matched the sound of the light sobbing that came from the huddled mass on the bed. Roxas never heard the sound of the door opening slowly, and the soft footstep pad over to him. A hand came down onto his back rubbing softly and Roxas jumped from the touch and startled from the feeling that someone had sat down on the edge of the bed. He rolled over. Axel was looking at the blue screen on the wall, staring, and then looked down at the floor. The room gave off a surreal atmosphere; Roxas wasn't sure if this was a dream or if Axel was really there.

"About what you said earlier…" Axel started; he turned around slightly and looked at the stunned blonde. "It's normal Roxas." A blush spread over Roxas' face instantly, mouth hung open to say something, but his brain was failing to form a sentence.

Roxas furrowed his brow. How could it be normal? Axel left him to cry and sulk for the past four or five hours, how could he come back and tell him that it was alright? It wasn't alright and Roxas was angry with him, breaking eye contact and looking down at the bed sheets. "Then why did you leave," He asked, tone harsher than normal. "If it is okay, why did you leave me?"

"It's complicated Roxas."

"How complicated, Axel. From what I've heard I'm pretty smart, so try me." Roxas sent him a sharp glare which was like a harsh smack in the face. Axel wasn't sure what to say, he had been second guessing himself the whole way down to the facility.

He stalled for a moment as he looked around the room, eyes eventually falling to the blonde. "You have feelings for me that a subject should not have for their doctor. It's inappropriate." Axel paused. Roxas leaned back against the bed frame staring at Axel.

"What are you playing at, Axel. You come in after leaving me and you …tell me everything is fine, but then say it's not?" Roxas got flustered and bit his lip. "…you tell _me_ I'm inappropriate?" Roxas furrowed his brow. "What is it Axel. I don't understand." The blonde began to shake, hands curling into tight fists as he cried.

Axel didn't respond and simply looked at Roxas glare at him, they held eye contact. "I have been working on your project my entire life Roxas. But for some reason, I never really expected us to be more than a Doctor and subject. But then I was working with you that first day and…I know you have feelings for me. And I'll be honest, I have feelings for you too, but what I want right now for us is to be friends."

"I want to be with you, all the time Axel. I love you."

He nodded, "I know Roxas. But we can't, it's complicated. And you're so young. You have so much to experience and learn. You might think you love me, but you can't know for sure, not until you get a little older."

Roxas' eyebrows furrowed at his response. "What do you mean?"

"That was a story Roxas. Yes, they were in love in the story, but there is so much more to love than that. You will understand, but right now we need to be friends. I care about you, so let's be friends." The blonde wasn't angry anymore. Tears silently rolled down his cheeks.

"I don't understand."

Axel bit his lip; he took a moment to think. "It's complicated… Ansem doesn't want anyone getting close to subjects…"

"But I'm a person."

Axel frowned, "I know. But I have to follow the rules just like you do. If I don't Ansem could take me off the project, I would never see you again." The blonde didn't respond. "I'm sorry," Axel sighed. He made an effort to get up, but was quickly stopped by the blonde who flung his arms around the other's neck. Axel closed his eyes and ran his finger through the blonde's hair silently as he held him.

"Will I see you tomorrow Axel?" Roxas mumbled into the crook of his neck.

"I don't know," Axel said softly. The other released him, and stared up at the redhead. "I have a lot of work lined up for data analysis, as well as whatever project Ansem is getting involved with Doctor Xehanort. I honestly can't answer that for now, plus I don't know what your punishment is for today's stunt. But I will be back. And I don't want you to come looking for me. Stay here, do what you're supposed to, and I'll be back soon," Axel paused. "Roxas, you do know that we can't tell anyone. No one can know about me coming in to see you." Roxas nodded, he didn't look happy about the response. "I'll be back Roxas. Learn a lot so that when I'm back we can talk about... I don't know… the theory of knowledge, and stuff." Axel laughed. Roxas gave him a light chuckle, he had no fucking clue what the theory of knowledge even referred to.

"Alright," He said, becoming more serious as Axel made his way to the door.

"Good Night Roxas."

Roxas gave the redhead a reassuring smile, waving. Axel shut the door, leaving Roxas in his blue dark room. He sat back in the bed staring up at the white ceiling. "Good night Axel."


	6. Chapter 6

Axel woke up the same way he did each morning, smacking his alarm clock to the point of submission, and the heaving himself out of bed. He then wobbled off to the bathroom where he proceeded to run the water for his shower and get in. There was a long list of things to do, meetings back to back. Axel had finally been asked by Xemnas to join his team and take patients to grow children for, but with the shift of events Axel wasn't sure he could handle all the jobs. In addition today he needed to do a scheduled maintenance on the fetuses up in lab two, but today was one of those day were the bed looked all to inviting. Axel sighed, pulling on his dress pants and a t-shirt, lab coat over top. He picked up his brief case from the floor and continued to the kitchen, where a tired Riku stood fumbling with the kettle, sniffing the different jars containing tea leaves. Axel collapsed into the chair and grabbed one of the pastries in the basket on the counter, biting in and finding out he had selected a custard filled doughnut.

"Tea?" Riku offered once the kettle began to whistle. Axel finished chewing and gave him a, 'no'. Riku came over and settled into the barstool on the side of Axel, sighing and laying his head against the counter. "Thank god it's Friday." He mumbled. Axel gave a nod, not saying anything; due to his late night excursion with one particular blonde Axel had been cut a few hours of much needed rest causing him to be more exhausted and sluggish than normal. "How did things go last night?" Riku said taking a sip of his tea after and scowling at the scalding liquid.

Axel raised an eyebrow at him, the memories of last night came flooding back to his mind quite vividly. "I think we did well." Axel concluded, getting up and going to the cabinet for a glass, pouring his self a cup of tea. He didn't care for the beverage but he didn't want to go digging around in the fridge for something, besides they were out of milk and beggars can't be choosers right? He joined the silver haired man once again but from the other side of the counter, taking a sip of the hot drink and then leaning his upper body against the surface. Riku was leaned back in his seat, head hung backwards and eyes closed, neither of them were morning people.

"What happened Axel? Give me more than that, I lead a tedious boring life and need to veraciously live through you…"

Axel snorted at the comment. "Wow, you're cool," he stated accusingly, Riku too began to chuckle, sitting up and leaning against the counter with his head propped up on his hand; he hadn't opened his eyes all morning. "Besides Riku," Axel said after draining the last of his tea and walking over to deposit the dish in the sink. "Aren't you the one who has already landed some ass? I should be the one vicariously living through you."

Riku shook his head, chuckling lightly, "No I haven't 'landed some ass', I just took your advice and am making an effort at a relationship. By the way Axel, don't you dare leave that cup in the sink; the dishwasher is right over there." He said with hint of malice in his tone, but Axel knew to do what he was told. "So, how did it go?"

Axel shrugged, "Good. I honestly feel a little awkward talking about it but, he likes me, although he doesn't really understand it… To be honest I'm a bit torn between protecting him and…well him. Something about him, since the first day I saw him, has drawn me." Axel quizzically looked towards the ceiling, "It's strange really" Riku nodded.

"Well how was he? Any emotional break downs?"

"I couldn't tell if he was pissed or sad."

"Well that's normal," Riku snorted, the redhead laughed.

"Yeah I guess it is, but… I'm not sure if I have confused or relieved him. I said I wanted us to be friends. I mean, the kid really has no idea what a boyfriend is anyways so, why complicate things now. We can be friends and when he figures out what's what, and how he really feels maybe I will go there…"

"Sounds like you really have thought this over, sleep well?"

"Yeah, something like that," Axel huffed.

"Well I hope it all works out for you, for him too…"

"Me too." Axel stated, shaking his head. "Just liking him as more than a subject has a lot of complications and obstacles, I just hope it works. I don't want to hurt him or get myself fired." Riku snorted as he began to laugh.

"Ansem would never fire you. You're like…" Riku paused to think about it, "You're like his fucking son or something."

Axel shrugged again; he couldn't deny the favoritism Ansem showed towards him. "Yeah I guess, but he could still give me a lot of hell, as well as remove me from the project. I wouldn't like that; I've worked towards it my whole life." He paused. "To be honest, I'm not really sure what to do anymore. Sure I'm busy, but Roxas, creating him, and maintaining him, and giving him life was my life and now that he is here I honestly have been feeling a bit lost. Like I no longer have purpose. I feel like I've been running around getting nothing accomplished. It sounds a bit cruel but I think that's why I'm drawn to him, solely because my life has revolved around him," Axel shrugged, "… and I don't want to be purposeless… I'd rather be dead."

Riku let Axel collect his thoughts for a moment, and then reached over and paced his hand on Axel's shoulder, "Maybe he is your purpose," Axel glanced at the other, "Think about it Axel, maybe, just maybe, you two were made for each other, and you've been waiting for him your whole life." He stated solemnly. Axel stared, the room was silent for a moment before the two broke out in gut-busting laughs.

"You're pretty fucking cheesy." He teased, and Riku simply shook his head.

"Didn't mean to get all sentimental there, you were just so touching, my inner female must have escaped for a moment." Riku sighed shaking his head.

"Yeah, what the hell did you put in the tea? Estrogen?" Axel joked giving the cup a weary glance.

"That or it's just that time of the month." He chuckled coming around the counter and dumping the last of his cup into the sink. Axel sighed, looking to his watch and then drooping.

"I have to head in," He grumbled at the other. Riku sent him a concerned expression.

"Is it that time already?" Axe nodded. "Shit," Riku muttered under his breath, it was almost eight and Riku wasn't even showered to begin work. "I guess I'll see you later Axel, I need to hop in the shower before costumers start arriving."

"Yeah that's fine," Axel got up from the chair, stretching and the proceeding to scratch his stomach. "I need to head in to work anyways." Axel greedily grabbed an extra pastry from the basket, and hollered a goodbye to Riku, who was already in his bedroom. He left. Exiting the shop Axel strode over to his car where he proceeded to jumbled with his keys for a moment, noticing from the corner of his eyes a sleek black car a few spots down across the road. There was a driver in the car, the engine was on, but they made no move to leave the spot, as a matter of fact move much at all. An eerie feeling crawled up his spine, and Axel couldn't shake the idea that he was being watched by the still figure inside. Axel got into his car. Taking his time to start the engine and check his mirrors, all the while keeping an eye on the car behind him. Axel eventually pulled out of the spot and drove. The car made no move to follow him, thus Axel shook off the incident as just one of those strange morning occurrences, no big deal. Axel arrived at the facility a bit late, and immediately signed in and continued upstairs to lab two where he checked every one of the fetus' growing there, filling out visual examination forms, as well as checking the stats on the individual tank's computers and making sure that cell multiplication was up to a normal level. The entire process would take a coupe three to four hours, it was a tedious job but Axel didn't mind. It was one of the old tasks that he could slip into and completely clear his mind. The only thing in his world was the fetus' floating stagnant in the amniotic fluid, there would always be a place for him here.

"Axel, Ansem needs to see us in his office." Axel looked up from the blue glow of the screen on tank ninety four.

"I'm almost done in here. There are six tanks to finish checking." Axel stated calmly. "Is it important? Or can it wait. These little beans won't wait if they're sick." Xemnas nodded walking over and taking a seat at tank Ninety Five, filling out the forms from visual examination and then checking the stats on the computer. They worked silently together for the next twenty minutes. Axel clicked the exit button on the screen in front of him and leaned back in the seat, stretching and giving a yawn. He then shook his head to wake up. Xemnas did the same and clicked out, rolling back his seat and looking at Axel.

"Was that all?"

Axel responded with a quick nod. "I already was up to lab three today, so yeah, that's all I had to do. You think they would have more staff on hand to check the little boogers."

"It's not necessary; the machines do it. Why, did you have to terminate one?"

Axel nodded, "Tank Twenty four, I've already sent the paper work down to the office so the couple will be in sometime in the next week, the fetus has been sent to lab four, can't let the stem cells go to waste." Axel said with fake enthusiasm.

"What was wrong with it?"

"Cell multiplication was off. The little guy was growing another set of fingers on the top of his hand." Xemnas raised an eyebrow at this. "It's something I could have fixed if I had been alerted to it, but I was so busy with Roxas that Ansem passed the responsibility off on another doctor." Axel shrugged. "It happens."

Xemnas stood, letting out a sigh. "Come on now. We need to get out there. I think Ansem has something to say pertaining to our new project. Ansem was with Xehanort all of yesterday afternoon and this morning." Axel cocked his head, curious to what it would be and then stood. They walked down to the office. "About what happened yesterday, did Ansem inform you what was decided to be his punishment?"

Axel raised an eyebrow at this, "Um, no he didn't. Isn't it our job to decide that?"

"Not anymore," Xemnas said. "I'm sure he will tell you about it when we get in there… Xehanort has probably wedged his way into the project." Xemnas almost growled the man's name.

Axel once again raised his eyebrow, a bit taken aback by the statement. "Is that a bad thing? Xehanort seemed fine to me. A bit introverted but nothing I haven't encountered before."

"I don't trust him." Xemnas stated. They were at the office, Xemnas looked to Axel, putting his finger over his lips to signal silence and then they pushed the door open and entered.

Ansem glanced over at the door. "Xemnas, Axel, I've been expecting you, but why are you so late?"

"Axel and I finished up in lab two."

The elder man nodded, "Well that's fine, come in, come in. Have a seat why don't you?" The two came in taking a seat in the leather chairs in front of Ansem's desk. "I would like your opinions on some changes I have considered making. Xehanort and I have been discussing the positives of combining facilities. You see, his facility is of more use to the public, but our facility contains equipment and a genetics team that could drastically improve the quality of the organs grown, so we are considering collaboration." When neither Axel nor Xemnas spoke Ansem continued. "With our knowledge gained from producing Roxas, we would be able to help produce healthy flawless organs compatible with anyone, regardless of blood type which will allow fewer donors to be used and more money to be saved. Luckily we already have flawless organs; we just need the means to reproduce them."

Axel scowled at Ansem. "Are you referring to Roxas?"

"Precisely. It sounds a bit harsh, but after a few surgeries, his part of the experiment will be over." Axel furrowed his brow.

"You would operate on him?"

"For samples, yes. There are other less invasive ways to do it for some organs, but we will have to operate on him. In addition we can always consider cloning but… that's far more expensive and our sponsors are not in favor of it." Ansem stated.

"Ansem, I completely disagree with this." Xemnas stated. "Our job is to study the boy's learning patterns and behavior, how can we have accurate data if we add stresses such as this to his life?"

"Regardless of his intelligence level he still has the feeling and emotions of a fifteen year old boy. I've spent the most time with him, so I think I can most accurately predict that doing something like that would traumatize him. And as a friend Ansem, I am asking you not to do that to him."

Ansem stared at Axel for a moment and then leaned back in his chair, stroking his bread. "Yes the professors didn't take to the idea a well, and the decision was only won by our sponsors with one vote. I myself feel a bit hesitant to do this as well, but if you think about it, in the long run we would be helping a lot of people, as well as saving the lives of the donors in Xehanort's facility."

"That line of business is disgusting," Xemnas growled.

"Yes I would have to agree with that claim Doctor. I too could not find in myself to get into that line of work, that's why Xehanort and I went separate ways."

"From an ethical stand point I can't believe the government would allow such a slimy operation to happen, it's no better than human trafficking." Xemnas looked away, his voice was dripping venom.

"I guess I'm the ignorant one here." Axel admitted. "What exactly does Xehanort's business entail?"

"Xehanort breeds organ donors. He has thousands of tanks containing humans kept in drug induced comas. When a person needs an organ they are put on a waiting list until there are enough people who need different type's organs, they use a catalog system to select the donor with the most genetic similarities and they harvest them." Axel's face paled.

"That's barbaric." He muttered. "The government should be all over that, why is it allowed to happen?"

"It's no different than human trafficking," Xemnas growled again.

"A lot of people have their hands in the pot," Ansem shrugged, "In this world money comes first. Didn't I teach you that?" Axel nodded. "You'll be surprised what people will do to each other for money. The hair from the donors goes to different wig companies, eggs and sperm go to different holding banks, and the adult stem cells are sent to a multitude of clinics to treat certain types of cancers and paralysis. Not to mention some come here for research." Axel didn't say anything.

"If the slaughter house they have is so prosperous then why are they working on alternatives?" Xemnas growled once more.

"Companies are starting to pull their money form the facility, and Xehanort can no longer support the amount of donors he has in his facility. The attitude you two have for their operation is common and the public is beginning to refuse his services. He has to terminate some of his donors when he arrives back at his facility."

"Terminate?" Axel's brow furrowed. "There isn't something else he could do with them? Take them out of the program and train them for jobs like janitors, and store clerks?" Ansem raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sure Xehanort would make you pay for them. Besides I heard you had to terminate a fetus today." Axel blinked. "It's no different than what you did." Axel was silent for a moment holding his tongue.

"Would the man be willing to sell some of the donors?" Xemnas casually asked.

"Buy some of the people off of him." Axel stated. "We could find places for them… Riku needs a hand in the shop. Put them there." The elder man paled, eyes widened. Xemnas shot a concerned look towards Axel.

"Riku?" Ansem asked. Axel startled, realizing his sudden mistake. Ansem looked down, staring at nothing. It was silent, the air in the room now electrified and tense. "Leave me." He mumbled, the two could barely hear the man, thus made no effort to move. "LEAVE ME!" Ansem yelled, standing, hands grasping the edge of the desk viciously. The two quickly got up from their seats and left the room. Ansem watched them go, collapsing in the chair and brought a hand up to rest on his forehead over his eyes, memories flooding.

҉

"Why did you bring him up? You know how he was going to react." Xemnas said and sighed as he sat back in his chair in his own office.

"I didn't mean to, it slipped out. But you agree, don't you Xemnas? If we can make use of these people why not save a life?" Axel asked. He was fired up about the topic again.

"It will be expensive Axel. But I'm sure some of them can be saved." Axel nodded; he had a lot racing through his mind, agitated about Xehanort's facility, and worrying about Roxas' wellbeing. Ansem was right; using Roxas to create a supply of organs would be beneficial. But if Roxas didn't consent then it shouldn't happen. He also didn't want Ansem cutting into the blonde until they had a system to grow the organs and maintain them that way if there was no choice in the matter the blonde wouldn't be hacked up too much for samples. "Ansem forgot to cover some of the information he needed to tell you." Xemnas said, interrupting Axel's thoughts. "Our sponsors as well as leading doctors in this facility have created a committee. This committee determines what projects the facility takes on, as well as things like punishment for Roxas and approving schedule changes. Due to the severity of Roxas' last blunder you will not be permitted to see him for the next four days. He will continue classes this weekend instead of having free periods and he will have no trip this weekend." Axel nodded. He had expected something like this to happen.

"Jeez, alright… what am I supposed to be doing during this time?"

"Ansem gave you the weekend off." Xemnas shrugged. Axel's eyes widened at that, and he leaned back in his seat.

"Alright."

"I would take it for what it is Axel." Xemnas sighed, "I've worked here for twenty four years and I've never gotten a day off." Axel chuckled at that and shrugged.

"I guess it's better than wondering the facility looking for stuff to do… Hey about the presentation. What did Ansem do about the reporters?" The redhead furrowed his brows, "I can't imagine he is going to let that all air."

The silver haired Doctor smiled at that. "It is all taken care of. Our sponsors have covered it up and all footage and reports on that have been destroyed and are not allowed to air on television or the internet. In addition there will be no newspaper reports on it. Damage control if you will but it still doesn't change the fact that many people saw him and many people still might have information and photos. Ansem has hired people to keep an eye out for that. All information will be released when we release it. There will be no slips ups like this again," Xemnas gave the doctor a firm look, "Understand."

Axel put his hands up defensively, "Hey, hey, don't give me that. I'm not the one who messed it up." Xemnas nodded. Axel raised a brow at him, "You're pretty happy today? What's up?"

Xemnas gave him a flat stare void of emotion, one he was famous for giving. "Things are lining up for me." Axel nodded, having no idea what the elder man was referring to, he shrugged. Having no more to say Xemnas handed him a stack of paperwork to fill out, smiling evilly, and the two spent the next few hours doing said paper work. Axel later excused himself from Xemnas' office wishing the man a good day; he headed down the hall, passing Ansem's office on the way. As he continued he heard the door crack open.

"Axel?" A weak, whimpering voice said. Axel turned around to find Ansem standing in his office door way. "Come here," He motioned. Axel obediently approached the man who opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to form words. His eyes were red and swollen, although there was no longer any sign of tears. "How… how is Riku?" He said.

Axel was silent for a while; he wasn't sure what to say. He could mention that he was still a bitter prick when it came to anything facility related, or he could mention that the tea shop had flourished into a respectable establishment and Riku was genuinely happy with his career. "Good, he seems happy. His tea shop is doing really well, and he has met someone." Axel stated. Ansem smiled at the last part, but quickly his face fell to a frown and again fumbled with forming words, grasping Axel shoulder desperately.

"Does he mention me ever? Does he miss me?"

"…No," Axel said flatly, he pitied the man. Ansem nodded repeatedly, clumsily patting Axel on the shoulder.

"Yes, of course," he mumbled, "Thank you my boy." He pulled Axel into a stiff awkward hug, and then turned and disappeared in his office once again. Axel stood looking at the office door; he could hear soft sobs through the oak. He sighed, hating to see the old man like this, but there was nothing he could do. Axel began the walk down to the first floor, mind drifting from Ansem's despair to Roxas'. After the events of the previous night he realized that the blonde was probably confused and upset. He wanted to be there for him, but there was nothing he could do but wait.

҉

Roxas was having the worst day of his life, the sadness he felt yesterday couldn't compare to the complete and utter despair the blonde was feeling now. That morning Ansem had come down and scolded him for his behavior the pervious afternoon, and then informed him that Doctor Axel would be taking a four day leave and if Roxas ran off at all during that time he would take more sever repercussions. To make things worse instead of getting his free time that the schedule said he would have that weekend, he would be continuing with normal classes. Roxas decided to make the best of his bad situation, and actually tried to pay attention in class. Math, it was fairly easy and made a whole lot of sense. There was a definite answer for everything, unlike in history, literature, and some aspects of science. He grasped the concept of numbers in seconds. It made complete sense how one represented… well one and when you add two to one you have three. That's what they were working on for the day, after numbers were down, he learned to add and subtract, multiply and divide. Admittedly the division was a tad bit tricky, but he figured with a few hours more to practice he could get through it. The day ended as lonely as it started. Roxas spent an hour or two, he honestly lost track of time, looking through one of the books Zexion had left for him. He could read very well now, and passed his reading comprehension examination, which Tifa administered at four o'clock that day; he had passed with a perfect score. Roughly around ten Roxas got up and turned off the lights, lying in bed for another hour until he fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry about that guys, I guess when I updated there were problems, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

It was the first time in a long time that Riku could actually enjoy his shop. He had been leaning against the front counter filling orders and making light conversation with the regulars all morning. Kairi was doing most of the work, since she had a better handle on machines that held the warm coffee and other such beverages while Sora was cleaning tables and collecting dishes taking them to the back sink to wash. There was no more baking to be done, they had caught up and had a surplus of pastries. The last customer for the morning's rush left. It was a Saturday; they tended to be a bit on the slow side. Riku came around the counter and took a seat at one of the glass tables relaxing. The sun was streaming in through the windows; it was going to be a warm summer day.

"Kairi, Sora, why don't you take a break." He said. He was in a fairly chipper mood. Kairi, who had been up the previous night with her boyfriend, grumbled something incomprehensible, and climbed the stairs to help herself to their couch. Sora came over and flopped down in the chair across from Riku, letting out a big sigh. Riku smiled at the sound of the boy's exhaustion. "Tired?" He asked. Sora gave him a nod, stopping suddenly remembering the other couldn't see the gesture. He forgot about Riku's impairment sometimes due to the independence Riku had. It was astonishing how the man could run a business with such a handicap.

"Yeah." Sora said, he gave a light chuckle. "I was up all night looking at recipes."

"What kinds?"

Sora shrugged, "Just different stuff. Seasonal treats, like pumpkin rolls and spice cakes."

"We could always add that to the menu." Riku smiled. The other boy didn't say much more. Riku listened to the steady sound of traffic that was filtering in from outside. It was one of the warmer days and he knew he would have to open the window later to welcome any breeze into building. "So… how are you?" Riku trailed off. He wasn't quite sure what to say to the younger man since sometimes he was flirty and others he was completely unreceptive to any type of flirtation.

Sora shrugged. "Good I guess. What about you?"

"I'm pretty good. Just a bit bored." He said sending a smile to the younger male.

Sora smiled back, he bit his lip nervously. He had a burning question for the silver haired man, but he wasn't exactly sure it was appropriate. "Riku?" the other surrendered his attention to the brunette. "How exactly did you lose your sight?"

It wasn't that Riku got upset when he talked about it, but that everyone else got upset by his answer. He didn't want anyone's pity. What no one seemed to understand was that Riku had never mourned his lack of vision. The brunette was waiting. "I was born with a rare eye disorder called congenital glaucoma. You see the fluid the eye produces can't properly drain, and causes high pressure that in my case led to blindness. My parents didn't have me tested for any defects during my mother's pregnancy, thank god, and the doctors didn't figure out I had the condition until it was too late." He shrugged "I could see once, but those days aren't even in my memory, I was an infant."

Sora bit his lip. He asked, but wasn't sure how to respond with the newfound information. "I'm sorry," was all the boy could manage.

"Sometimes though, I wonder what it would be like to see…" Riku paused. "I'm curious to know what you look like…" he lifted his hands, "Can I?" Sora nodded with a soft, 'mhm'. Riku leaned across the table being met halfway by Sora. He placed his hands gently on the brunette's face tracing the bridge of his nose with his fingers and softly letting his fingertips brush over his eyes. He mapped out the others face with only his hands quietly and concentrated until the smaller male leaned closer and pressed his lips firmly against Riku's, parting slowly afterwards, leaving the silver haired man in shock. "What was that for?" Riku asked softly.

"I wanted to." The pair was silent once again; a sweet moment of anticipation and Sora leaned towards the other, pressing his lips to Riku's. He moved to deepen the kiss, Riku had to pull away.

"…Do you want to go in the back room?" Riku asked, his answer was received when he heard the scraping of the chair legs slide back as the other stood. Sora followed him to the back room where Riku quickly pressed the younger boy against the wall greedily pursuing his lips and staying like this for some time. The two indulged in exploring each other's mouths, Riku wrestling Sora's tongue into submission. The whole situation was strange for Riku, the younger male often acted shy around him, with the sudden turn of events Riku could honestly vouch that he was a bit breathless but planned to take full advantage of the situation. The pair was disrupted by the pounding of feet down the stairs. Sora pulled away from Riku and curiously turned towards the sound where he was greeted with a huge shit-eating grin plastered to the redhead's face and raised brow. Riku, slightly annoyed with the arrival of his roommate, simply smirked at the other. Sora, on the other hand, was mortified that he was caught by the redhead and shrunk down by Riku's side.

"Don't let me ruin the moment guys; I'm just coming down to bum some coffee from the machine." He said passing the pair and going out behind the counter out of sight. Riku laughed, smiling at Sora, who in return smiled nervously as well.

"Don't you have to go to work sometime, or did Ansem fire your ass?" Riku called out at the redhead who was now whistling a catchy little tune.

"Not for the whole weekend, the boss gave me it off so Roxas would run off and try to find me again."

Riku shook his head, walking out to the café area and leaning against the counter. Sora followed, a blush still present on his face. "What happened with the kid?"

Axel cringed, "Come on Riku, don't call him kid." Axel sighed, "It makes me feel like a pedophile or something." He took a slip of his coffee, wrinkling his nose at the taste; it was some pumpkin spice flavor he decided to try.

"Oh so now you like him? Wasn't that the problem just the other night?" Axel thought about it a moment and then shot the other a glare, not that Riku even care, he just continued smirking. "So what happened?"

Axel rolled his eyes, "Roxas ran off on them because the fucking dumbass nurse told him I wouldn't be in for the next couple days. He completely ruined my presentation; Ansem had to save my ass… didn't I tell you that the other day?" He was still a bit bitter but as he thought about the blonde his anger melted.

"Nah, you just bitched about your feelings."

"Oh, well I feel pretty bad because I can't see him but rules are rules. I learned them, and now he has to." Axel took another sip of his coffee.

"You miss him." Riku teased. The redhead just rolled his eyes once more.

"Yeah, I do, but it doesn't matter because I can't see him till Tuesday." Axel shrugged. "It will be good for him anyways. He has been falling behind in his studies and we wouldn't want Ansem to believe that he isn't smart enough or something." Axel grinned, shifting his gaze to look out the window and spotting a sleek black car parked across the street. It made him anxious and his eyes narrowed, setting his coffee down and examining it. Sora noticed the sudden change in demeanor and followed Axel's stare to the car, staring at it as well.

"Who's that?" Sora asked quietly. Axel shook his head.

"I'm not sure. It might just be a new store owner or something…" He suggested, quickly shrugging it off and shifting the attention from the car. Riku, who was confused simply ignored Sora's question when Axel blew it off. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "I'm going to take a walk," Axel said. "I'll be back in an hour or so." Axel exited through the front door keeping a wary eye on the car but it made no move to follow him, thus he continued on down the street. He was taking the long way to the Crystal Garden not wanting to use the short cut and go out of the back of the store, watching the car from the reflection in his phone.

҉

"You should seriously consider what Axel suggested yesterday." Xemnas said flatly. Ansem held his head in his hands, rubbing his brow in frustration.

"I am." Ansem sighed. "But I know Xehanort won't be happy with our change of plans."

"It's not his facility."

"Nor is it yours, Xemnas," Ansem snapped. Xemnas recoiled sitting back and closing his eyes for a moment in thought. Ansem let out a haggard breath. "You're right Xemnas, I'm sorry." The man pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll inquire with Xehanort the prices for a donor. I'm sure they will be a couple hundred thousand at least, the man likes to milk it when it comes to money." Xemnas smiled, the satisfaction only gracing his features for a moment. "But our sponsors are pushing the combination of our facilities. I'm not sure how they will handle us saying no. Besides, think of all the lives that we can save if we were to take it on."

"Maybe it would be most beneficial to simply exclude Roxas from the project."

"Oh, well yes I know that. We can very well produce organs and not need him, but his part in the project would significantly speed the process, then it would be a simple matter of cloning. But we will still need to have a means to keep the organs alive. I don't know… It's just-…" The elder man's, brow creased with thought. Xemnas sent him a questioning look.

"Should I leave you?" Xemnas asked, the other nodded and Xemans stood from his place and exited. Ansem watched him wearily, pulling out his cell phone once the door was shut, punching in a number.

҉

The park was as tranquil as ever. Axel was spending his time reclined on the bank of the small pond, orchids and lilies sprung up around the edge of the water instead of the usual cattails. It was moments like this that he wished could last forever. Him by the side of the water, secluded, nothing to do, if only Roxas was here… Axel jolted up, startled by the sudden vibration in his pocket. He gave a sigh, the peace of the natural setting being completely obliterated, and retrieved the device from his pocket. "Ansem?" He stated aloud, raising a brow once reading the caller ID. He pressed a button and raised it to his ear.

"Hello Axel," The voice said over the phone.

"Ansem… I thought today was my day off?" He chided, falling to a more somber mood when there was no indication of even a minor chuckle on the other end of the line.

"Would you meet me somewhere? I was thinking maybe the Sterlington on the corner of Crystal Plaza?"

"Uh...yeah sure. When?"

"Give me twenty minutes, and I'll be there."

"Okay." Axel said, the line on the other end went dead and Axel pulled the phone from his face giving it a curious expression. "That was weird," He mumbled to himself, then shoved the devise back into his pocket. Axel got up from his spot on the ground brushing himself off. He wasn't dressed to meet with the doctor and decided it was in his best interest to go change into something a bit more presentable. Axel made his way back out of the park and to the tea shop. Riku and the employees were out on the floor once more, preparing for the crowd that always came in around noon.

"That was a short walk," Riku commented as Axel entered the shop.

"Got a call from the boss," Axel shrugged, continuing past the tables and behind the counter, he was heading for the stairs.

"What, did the old fuck call you in? I thought you had the day off." Axel was already on the stairs causing Riku to raise his voice to get the message to the other man.

"He wants me to meet him for lunch. I'll tell you more in a second; I need to change my clothes." Riku rolled his eyes at that, listening to the sound of the door close up stairs.

"So, they really aren't anything special," Riku commented, he was showing Sora how they made the sandwiches for lunch. "There's roast beef, ham, and turkey. We use Swiss cheese, and let the customers decide what sauces to put on and if it's toasted." Sora raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?" Riku gave a nod.

"The only special part is that it's homemade bread." He shrugged. "But people buy them so why not. We make about forty a day, and that's it. If someone comes in asking for one and we no longer have them you offer them a discount on something else. I make six loaves of bread a night and refuse to do more," The silver haired man said with a light smile. Sora nodded. It was silent for a while, Riku enjoyed the brunettes company. He was soft spoken and didn't make a lot of noise moving around unlike Axel and Kairi who could be confused with a herd of elephants the way they stopped around most of the time. Riku leaned on the counter.

"What now?" Sora asked.

"We wait," Riku answered. Sora moved to lean back against the counter. Riku listened to the soft breathing of the brunette beside him, smiling. It was moments like this where he cursed his disability he would have liked to see the boy, for once he wondered what it would be like to see. "Sora," Riku started, interrupting the silence. "Would you mind if-" Riku was cut off by a loud crash, standing abruptly and listening. There was a harsh growl of a few profanities. "Are you alright Axel?"

"I'm fine. I tripped, that's all." He was soon down the stairs, coming behind the counter. "I'm heading out, do I look good," Axel asked giving a grin to the pair.

"Beautiful, asshole," Riku rolled his eyes, receiving a chuckle from the other.

"You know you love me," He teased as he proceeded around the counter and headed out the front door. Leaving Riku shaking his head at him in his wake.

"Yes." Sora said quietly.

"What?" Riku's attention was brought back to the brunette beside him.

"You were about to ask me out, right?" Sora gave him a smile, even though the other couldn't see it. "And I said yes." Riku smiled turning his face away and nodding, in all honesty he was just going to ask something random but he didn't mind the alternative.

҉

Axel hustled down the street to the corner of Crystal Plaza to a more formal dining establishment named the Sterlington. Ansem was waiting outside. He gave a small wave as the other approached. "Shall we head inside?" He asked, Axel gave a nod and the two went in seated by a petit waitress, they had a table by the window. "I assume you are having a nice day, Axel?" the man asked, unfolding his napkin and placing it in his lap.

"For the most part, it's leaned more towards an uneventful day if you ask me." The redhead said with a light chuckle.

"Yes, yes. You are a workaholic, aren't you?" Axel shrugged and they both gave light awkward chuckles. There was silence after that. The waitress came and took their orders after a moment, and Axel handed her the folded menus. Ansem lost his focus staring off out the window and down the street, the man was still as awkward and spacey as he was the previous day. "Tell me Axel," the redhead perked up as he was addressed, "Do you think Riku would give me the time of day if I were to walk into his shop?" Axel bit his lip, the old man turned his head from the window to read Axel's expression when there was a pause in response.

"I don't know." Axel admitted.

The elder was studying his face, and then gave a sagely nod muttering an, "I see…" before clearing his throat and moving on, his eyes looked down the road to the shop. "I called you here because I wanted to tell you that I agree with your idea."

Axel raised a curious brow. "What idea sir?"

"Buying donors from Xehanort…" he paused, "It will be costly, but saving a few lives is better than none." Axel's eyes widened.

"How many are you buying?"

"I'm not sure yet. I was wondering if you would ask Riku for me if he would take in anymore permanent residence to help him run the shop." Axel bit his lip. He wasn't sure Riku would accept help like that from Ansem. He was bitter and unresponsive to anything involving the man, save Axel of course, but that was due to a friendship forged long before the hate.

"I can ask." Axel paused, the waitress had came with their food the rest of the restaurant was void of life save a two other groups, this place was more for dinners. Ansem began to cut into his sandwich, Axel followed suit, taking a bite but still thinking about the donors. "If Riku can't take any," Axel said around a mouth full of food, "What will we do with them?"

The elder man shrugged. "Sadly where ever they end up it's going to be much like servitude." Axel cocked his head at the statement.

"Why?"

"I have a research facility Axel, not a boarding house. Where do you think the money would come from? I would have to dip into the facilities funds, and would eventually need them to pay it back." Axel was taken aback by the concept, constricting his face disgustedly.

"How would you expect someone who has been comatose their whole life to pay you thousands of dollars?"

"I wouldn't," Ansem stated. "But they surely wouldn't be living for free; I would expect them to provide free labor to the facility, work to earn their debt, but in a free flowing environment with housing and other necessities provided. Like children merely doing chores around the house," Ansem chuckled. "They could even be trained to do special tasks like assist in maintenance with the tanks. I'm sure they could handle that."

Axel nodded, he understood that the facility couldn't afford to buy them, care for them, and expect nothing in return. After all it was lack of money that got them into the mess; Xehanort would simply just be passing the debt. "Have you talked to him about it?"

Ansem nodded a slow 'no' as he chewed a bit more of his lunch. He took a sip of his water and loudly cleared his throat. "I haven't yet," The man paused whipping his face, "but he will be coming over tomorrow afternoon to discuss the plans of the new project with me. I plan to explain why I have to back down on the project until we have a surefire way to execute it and then discuss buying a few of his donors to help with the debt." The plan wasn't bad, Xehanort would probably be a bit put off by the fact that Ansem had backed down, but it was to ensure the safety of his own project, which he had been putting significantly more money into that the worth of all of Xehanort's donors. The two quietly ate for a moment, Axel was curious to ask about the blonde and how he was dealing with his punishment. Judging it as a safe topic Axel preceded with his inquiring.

"How is Roxas taking his first taste of punishment?" The question was light and had an air of humor about it. Axel didn't want to give the impression that he missed the blonde, or cared deeper for him than Doctor and experiment.

"He is as most teenagers are." Ansem stated a twinkle in his eye, as if he was the proud father. "He was a bit mopey this morning, Miss Tifa had him for class, she made a joke to Doctor Xemnas today about his behavior always being abnormal when he is around her. I sum it up to hormones," Ansem said chuckling as he pushed his plate back from him a bit, finished with the meal. "I don't know if you noticed Axel but she has very large… assets… if you know what I mean." The doctor wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

The comment from the elder doctor took Axel by surprise, in all his years of knowing the man he had never heard such a remark from him. In fact over the years he was quite sure the man had no sex drive at all, but then again Riku was living proof against his theory. "Yeah, I've noticed," He answered with a breathless chuckle and shake of the head.

"Ah yes," The old man leaned back in his seat. "But she really is a great addition to the team if I do say so myself. Her notes are always very honest and very thorough." Ansem sighed, getting back the normal sitting position and looking at Axel. "Well I suppose I shouldn't be keeping you anymore. It's not fair to force you to listen to the ramblings of an old man on your day off." He gave another brief laugh and then alerted the waitress, who came bouncing over producing their check. Ansem covered the tab, getting up and heading to the door with Axel. Once outside the man sighed looking around at the clear blue sky. "I can give you a definite answer about the donors on Monday. All I want you to do is figure out if Riku will take some of them in. Then I'll have something lined up for you when you get back."

"I'm sure once I explain the situation with him, he will be eager to take them in." Ansem smiled at the comment, giving a wave and stepping off the curb and went to his car. Axel started the walk home, taking a detour and going through the crystal park.

It wasn't until later that night that Axel decided to come home. He had spent the majority of the day walking around outside doing nothing special. The park always provided a nice place where Axel could clear his mind, he even like to watch the birds. He then went window shopping; the park was surrounded by a loop of stores making it the second largest commercial center in the city. The sky had turned a soft hue of red, fading to a hot pink and purple. This is when he began the voyage home so caught up in the pleasures of the day that he hadn't noticed the sleek black car. Axel came in through the back door. It was around seven and Riku was cleaning up. He dismissed Kairi early since she wasn't feeling her best, and Sora had left around six. Riku was just flicking off the light, and proceeding to the door to flip the sign to 'closed' when Axel entered.

"Hey Riku," He called, making his way to the stairs. Riku smiled, finishing up his tasks and then meeting Axel.

"That was a long meeting."

"Oh I'm sorry dear, did I miss dinner?" Axel teased. The silver haired man snorted and rolled his eyes. "I actually took a walk. How were things at the shop today?"

Riku shrugged. "Pretty much the same as always. We had some old hag choke on a Danish, luckily Kairi was here and awake at that point and gave her CPR."

"Wow, that's strangely funny." Axel laughed at the other male.

"If it wasn't for the almost lawsuit that could have been on my hands I would agree." Axel shrugged starting to head up the stairs the silver haired man followed suit. Fumbling with the keys and unlocking the door, Axel practically ran to the sofa diving over the back and landing into the cool leather cushion. Riku cringed at the sound. "If you weren't a reckless idiot by nature I would be concerned by that sound, but I imagine what ever noise you just made was on purpose, and you're okay."

Axel laughed, "You're such a dick Riku, lighten up and get the tree out of your ass. Have a little fun!" He rolled onto his back and let his head hang over the edge looking at the silver haired man upside-down who was in the kitchen. He chuckled when Riku shook his head at the statement. The pair could argue at each other all day if they wanted and regardless of the names called and buttons pushed their bond still remained similar to that of two brothers.

"So what did the fuck-head have to offer today?"

The redhead cringed at the name. "Don't call him that," he said lightly, receiving no response from Riku. Axel shifted around so he sat normally on the couch. "He wanted to ask me something, well, tell me, and then ask you." There was a bang of dishes in the kitchen, and then absolute silence. Axel looked in at him; Riku was standing at the counter, staring down into the bowl in his hands blankly. "It's something we have to kind of sit down and discuss." Axel added.

"Whatever he wants, the answer is no." Riku stated sharply.

"It's not really about him."

"Then what's it about?" Riku asked, he was trying to keep his voice calm, but the tension was seeping into his tone.

"Come out here and we can talk about it Riku." Axel watched the silver haired man bite his lip in frustration, staring down at the dish still. He then gently put it down on the counter, then walked out to join Axel on the couch taking a seat at the other end.

"Well?" he asked softly.

Axel looked the other over, and then sighed. "Ansem met up with his old college Xehanort… just out of curiosity, do you know him?"

"I heard him mention the man a few times before, but no, I never met him." Axel nodded.

"Alright, well he operates the facilities that produce organs for transplants."

Riku cringed, "That's truly a disgusting business, no wonder the prick is friends with him." Axel wasn't sure how to respond to that, looking down for a second and then continuing on.

"Xehanort's business is going under from the withdrawing of funds from his sponsors and lack of interest form the public. He propositioned Ansem to merge facilities and use Roxas' DNA to grow organs that can be universally donated and grown individually. He was going to do it and use samples from Roxas, but Xemnas and I convinced him to do otherwise, a different approach. I am not really sure what's going on, but I really am going to steer the project away from Roxas."

"That's bullshit. Roxas shouldn't even be considered for that, he should have a choice..."

"You know just as well as I do that experiments like him have no say in these sorts of things…"

"It's bullshit." Riku sneered.

"Well, that's not what I'm supposed to be asking you anyways. Xehnort's facility is going under and he has to terminate some of his product." Riku's face contorted in repulsion. "Ansem had agreed to buy some of the donors to keep alive, but they need a place to go. He was wondering if some could come here and maybe help you with the shop." Riku was quiet; he let his head rest in his hand, and pulled on the skin of his lips incessantly with his teeth. "We could save someone's life, Riku." He was silent for a while and then nodded.

"Tell him I said yes." Riku answered softly, hardly above a whisper. "We can take two people."

"Thank you Riku." Axel then reached for the remote and turned on the television. "Anything you want to watch?"

"Put on something funny." Riku said, sighing and leaning back, spreading his legs across the couch. Axel flicked through the television, finding a show and leaving it. The rest of the evening carried like this, neither of them moving for the rest of the night.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry I took so long to post guys, I was scrambling to get a Lightning Coplay done for my nine year old cousin. I took her to Tora Con at RIT. She liked it cuz she hugged a hot Kakashi and we go judges favorite in the Cosplay Contest. Woot lol. Enjoy guys!**

There were no explosions, no catastrophic disasters or deaths since Axel was gone from the facility. In fact it stood just as large and white as it had when he left, the shadow of the building reaching over him. The fetuses in labs two and three were just as they were on Friday, and the staff had documented Roxas' progress perfectly. It was a relief to the redhead, yet the feeling of utter uselessness crept into his mind. He couldn't go down and check on Roxas for a few days still, and other than giving Xemnas a hand on the paperwork there wasn't much to be done. Axel sat at Xemnas' desk sulking, head rested on the stack of papers. "Xemnas I'm so fucking bored," Axel moaned. The elder man shrugged.

"Go find something to do then Axel. It's not my job to babysit you."

"Give me a job to do," Axel huffed.

"You've done them all." Xemnas flatly said causing Axel to groan into the paperwork once more. Xemnas sighed leaning back in his seat and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Why don't you go do some research? Find more about the human body and organs, assuming you haven't read everything down there yet. Come up with some hypotheses on how to execute Xehnort's project. Anything, just let me work."

Axel blinked at the suggestion. He hadn't thought about that, having been so focus on the old jobs he forgot he had free rein with the new project. Axel got up from his seat and exited the room. He took the long way to the library, bouncing ideas back and forth in his head. He entered the big resource room from the main entrance in the lobby, going over to the area where documentations and encyclopedias were shelved under the category biology. He sighed pulling a few books off the shelf about human physiology and stood there with the book cracked open in his hands absorbing the knowledge like a sponge. He scanned the pages, eyes taking mental photographs of the charts, diagrams, and graphs. The information poured in like water bursting through a dam, only being distracted when he heard a frustrated groan. Axel raised a curious brow and craned his neck around the bookcase to see who was on the other side; eyes were greeted by the blonde's hunched figure at the table a few feet away. Axel quickly concealed himself behind the shelving. He didn't want to serve as a distraction for the blonde; he seemed to be working fairly diligently for once. But, with Axel's eyes off the blonde he felt a bit lonely. He missed Roxas and he knew it, his boredom was proof of it, and he wanted to see the boy. The redhead parted the books on the shelf, peering through at the blonde. Roxas was frustrated doing his work, there was an instructor sitting in the chair across from him with their feet on the table. From the looks of it he was taking a test of some kind. The expectations for Roxas had grown exponentially in the last couple days. Roxas grasped concepts easily and practically memorized his science and history textbooks, making it so that Ansem placed exceedingly high expectations on him, and Roxas scrambled to do them. The redhead sighed. He was happy that Roxas was doing fine. He took one last glance at the blonde, and grabbed his book and left the room. Conveniently as he stepped out Axel felt a vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out, it was Ansem, he sighed and clicked the button, bring the device to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Axel, come up to my office." The line went dead. Axel blinked at the randomness of the call but then simply shrugged it off. He climbed the staircase to the third floor entering Ansem's office and sitting down. The man was on the phone, ending it quickly when Axel came inside, and then leaning on his desk. "What did he say?"

"What did who say, sir?"

"Riku. You never told me about Riku. Remember Axel? You are having me look in to buying some of the donors?" Axel mouthed an, 'oh,' and nodded.

"Yeah, I've been pretty busy today, well… more like a bit distracted, honestly." The redhead sighed, rubbing his neck nervously.

"Really now?" Ansem said, raising a brow.

"Yeah, but anyways, Riku agreed. He said he would take in two at most. It's a bit cramped there anyways, so I'm not too sure we could fit more if we wanted to."

"Excellent." Ansem said stroking his beard. "I haven't spoken with Xehanort yet. I'm saving that trail for later. He most definitely will not be happy. None the less the old plan is still in play and a few members of his staff will be joining us. I will speak with him tomorrow and relay the new conditions of the project. In the meantime, I see you have been doing some research, what have you found?" Ansem asked eyes lit with excitement. Axel gave him a grin and opened up the book to a certain page and laid it on his desk, the elder man grabbed it, reading the text.

҉

Roxas had been busy to the point where his thoughts about Axel had been eliminated from his mind. Roxas was finishing up his last class of the day, Xemnas had ordered the teacher give him an examination so his progress could be better calculated. Sometimes he disliked Xemnas but he couldn't completely hate him since he helped produce him, as odd as that sounded. He was currently in his science class. Professor Zexion had begun to teach him biology since Roxas marked it as something he wanted to learn in one of the books Zexion had provided, and now Roxas was labeling the parts of a cell. It was a piece of cake save one answer: Lysosomes… he always confused them with the Centrioles and he knew it. Now, with everything else labeled and the squiggly dots on the diagram staring at him, he had to decide which dots were which, going with his gut feeling.

"Finished yet?" Zexion asked. "You are only permitted five more minutes."

"Let me check my work." The professor nodded and returned his attention to the huge book he had pulled off the shelf and was reading. Roxas flipped to the front of his examination booklet and looked through the questions and answers quickly going through page by page and then finally satisfied with his work, slid the paper to the man. Zexion looked down at the test and gave a smile. Roxas slumped down in his chair relived.

"Two minutes to spare." Zexion stated. The younger male simply let out a breathless laugh. "I'll have this graded by tomorrow probably." He told him. Roxas gave the man a nod. It was time for him to go, but the adrenalin rushing through his body from cutting it so close to the time limit made him feel limp and heavy. One of the nurses came in at six on the dot and escorted Roxas to his room, locking the door as she left to get his dinner .Roxas sat down on the seat, looking around his room. The air was stagnant and sterile, the fluorescent light beating down on him. His dinner was brought in, it was a bland tasteless meat with vegetables, but it was food. He spent the remainder of his night reading a novel Tifa had given him for recreational purposes. It was a story of forbidden love. Two star-crossed lovers destined to be together yet separated by the trivial feuding of their families, eventually dying for each other passionately. Roxas wasn't really sure why she would give him a book like this, the male protagonist being a lustful stalker and the female being naïve and hormonal, truly social commentary for its time. Roxas was bored with the book, laying it on the table and walking to his room. There was nothing left to do but check his schedule, set an alarm, and sleep. And he did just that.

_҉_

_The wind was blowing all around me in a circling motion like a weak tornado. I was among the golden wheat grasses, staring at the tall oak tree in the distance, the mountains farther than usual. He was here again. He is always here anymore, and at times I wonder if maybe his presence had always been around but simply went unnoticed to me. He has always been here with me, and just now was stepping out of the oak tree for me to find. And I liked having him around. It was fun. Sometime we would lay there and stare up at the sky. And sometimes we would watch the birds flock to the oak tree. When he was here, the world relaxed. The fish swam slower, the breezed felt softer... But today I just stood and waited. I could feel him around me, looking from all directions at once, but I could not see. I can't see. And for the first time in this place I felt sad. _

The next day played out much like the last few did for Roxas, no real eventful things occurring making Wednesday morning seem all the more delightful to the point where Roxas found trouble in sleeping that night. He sprang out of bed showering and dressing in his white jeans and t-shirt, which had become his favorite outfit, and went out to breakfast. It was the usual egg and slice of toast with berries, simple but honestly one of his favorites. He was waiting for Axel to come through the door at any moment. When the door knob turned Roxas whipped himself around so fast, he about lost his balance and fell from the seat, but deflated at the sight. It was Aerith. She stepped into the room holding the door open, "Are you ready for class?" She asked Roxas politely. He got up from his seat, and slowly made his way to the woman.

"Where's Axel?" he asked. "I thought I was done being punished. Don't I get to see him today?"

The woman sent him a kind smile. "Don't worry Roxas, I'll give him a call and tell him to come down and visit you during your lunch okay? He is at a meeting." She concluded. Roxas drooped, going to the table to collect his books and then heading to class. It was history today. His teacher was an older woman with tiny glasses hanging off her nose, but she wasn't easy. In fact she was very good at not only making the subject interesting, but pushing him. Roxas' mind kept drifting off to Axel and the lunch he would be allowed to spend with the redhead. But the woman could sense the lack of focus like it had a specific strong and disgusting odor and would give the desk a smack with her ruler. He was learning about what defines a culture and broad ideas similar to that before diving into the book, although he had already read it. She wanted to double check her work, not being use to a student who retained information like a computer. The morning dragged on.

҉

At about eight that morning Axel received a message from Aerith. She stated that Roxas wanted to see him during lunch, great, this was perfect. Axel rolled his eyes. The anticipation of seeing the blonde completely destroyed his focus on the presentation Ansem was giving to the team about the new project, which contained Xemnas and Axel, of course, and a few doctors and nurses who worked under them as well as new faces from Xehanort's facility. Including Xehanort himself, as well as a man named Vexen, and one named Siax. Axel had no impression of them really; they seemed like nice honest, hardworking, kind men. His attention had been wavering for hours but now that the time for Roxas' lunch was drawing nearer Axel found it hard to think of anything else.

"In addition to the new project, I would like to formally announce that Roxas' program had been a complete success, and in December Doctor Axel and I will be taking him to Switzerland to receive the Noble Prize for Genetics. I wanted to thank the members of my team for contributing to this achievement. We are all a family, and I am proud to be in it with all of you." The group of doctors clapped enthusiastically, some of which were hearing the news for the first time and chatted excitedly about it. "There isn't much more to say now. We need to get to work on this project. I want everyone in lab four; it will be our designated lab for the project." Everyone scattered, standing and collecting their things. It was a fairly large team, but everyone was bringing their own ideas to the playing field. Axel too had an idea on how to go about growing the organs, although he was far less into it at the moment, and instead of joining the team in the lab Axel excused himself and walked down to the first floor. Going into the boy's room and taking a seat on the couch. He relaxed there, the environment smelled stale, and was plain looking, its ray of sunshine, Roxas, was missing. He was early.

҉҉

Roxas sighed, looking at the clock and gauging the amount of time he had left. Five whole minutes. It was times like this that one realized just how long a minute really was. He sighed again, causing the teacher to give him a curious look. Roxas was filling out a homework sheet, basically finding answers from the book, but he had already read it, and simply recalled it from memory, citing the page. Three minutes. He tapped his pencil on the desk, eyes darting from the paper to the clock. Almost there, in a few more minutes the nurse would come in and take him back to Axel.

"Roxas?" It was nurse Aqua who came to escort him. Thank god for her, Roxas stood up abruptly and slid the paper to the woman.

"I didn't finish yet, but I only have a few more questions." The woman nodded.

"You can finish tomorrow." She stated. He gave her a polite nod and then turned to walk to his room with Aqua, forgetting his books and having to turn around right as he got to the door. Aqua walked ahead of him and unlocked the room door, Roxas had to catch up. "I'll bring you your lunch soon." She said politely, he gave her a quick nod and came inside. Empty.

Axel who was laying down on the couch reading the copy of, "Romeo and Juliet," Roxas had laying on the coffee table smiled as he herd the door open and one of the nurse say something to the blonde. He listened to the sound of his feet on the ground. He slowly sat up and leaned on the back of the couch. "Did you miss me?" Axel said shooting the blonde a devilish grin. Roxas jumped at the sudden appearance of the redhead, smile then spreading across his face. Roxas ran to the back of the couch, throwing his arms around the redhead's neck and held tight.

"You have no idea how much I missed you." Roxas said as he released the other and sent him a large smile. "I mean, learning is nice and all, but wow. It got so boring being in here alone for lunch and stuff!"

The redhead gave another laugh as the blonde pulled him into another hug. "Hey Roxas," He said after a while, "Let go for a minute." The blonde looked at him with huge blue eyes and reluctantly let go. Axel sat back down, patting the spot on the love seat next to him. "Hold off on the hugs until Aqua is in here with lunch, that way no one walks in." Roxas smiled, he understood the precaution, and went to sit next to Axel. It wasn't much later that Aqua came in with the food, having another extra plate and explaining that Aerith had sent it, but the food went untouched. Once she was safe a distance down the hall Roxas latched himself onto Axel, arms wrapped around his waist, Axel took to stroking the blonde's hair.

"It feel's nice to be missed. Man, with all this attention I might plan to take unexpected absences more often." the redhead joked. Roxas merely stuck his tongue out at him.

"Don't you dare. I was so bored. Doctor Even and the nurses are nice but they treat me like a kid." Roxas muffled voice spat from against Axel's chest. "Besides, I'm mad at you. You're a Doctor! You could have talked to them and stuff…you could have come back sooner."

"I'm sorry Roxas, but I really had no power over it." The blonde sighed and gave a short nod. He released the other and sat back down. "So, how have you been? Xemnas told me that you had to continue classes all weekend, how was that?"

Roxas shrugged. "Okay I guess. I read through all my level one textbooks. Professor Zexion gave me an exam, but I finished with two minutes to spare." The blonde sighed

"Well that's great," Axel chuckled, "how do you think you did."

"I don't know, well I guess, but I should have finished a lot sooner…"

"Nah, your fine. Using the whole time you're allowed is no big deal." The blonde just gave him a light smile.

"So, since it's obvious what I did all weekend, what did you do?" Roxas asked. He sat Indian-style and looked up at the other expectantly.

"Well, before we get into this, why don't you eat something," The redhead gestured to the ignored plate on the table. "I don't want one of the nurses to report that you didn't eat, they might not let me come in." The blonde rolled his eyes but obediently picked up his sandwich and ate. Axel smiled and leaned against the arm of the love seat. "The weekend was nice. It was my first day off in… well a while. Let's see… I hang around the house… and I went to the crystal park."

"Crystal Park?" Roxas asked through a mouth full of food. "What's that?"

Axel laughed lightly, "It's pretty much exactly as it sounds. It's a park, but there is a crystal theme to it. All the flowers are soft whites, and there are blossoming trees but only in the spring, and there is a lot of lights hung around and granite pathways. I don't know… I guess it's a place you will have to see."

"You say that a lot."

"What?"

"That I have to see something or experience it to know it."

"Oh," The redhead flushed. "Well some things you do. Like… it's one thing to hear about it, but another to see it." The redhead shrugged, "Sorry."

Roxas was silent for a moment and looked the other over. "Will I experience it?" The other sent him a questioning look. "Or…will I have to stay here?"

Axel and Roxas stared at each other. With the delay of response Roxas sighed and looked away. "Don't worry." Axel placed a hand on his shoulder. "You will Roxas. You just have to wait." The other nodded. Axel's phone vibrated in his pocket, startling both of them.

"What's that?" Roxas gasped.

"My phone," Axel pulled it from his pocket, he read the call ID, "Here, hush for a second it's Doctor Ansem." The other sat quietly watching the redhead curiously. "Hello?"

"Axel, where did you go? We need you up here in Lab Four. You wanted something to do, well here it is. Get back up here and help."

"Sorry Ansem, I came down to check in with Roxas. You know how I like to micro manage my projects."

"As a matter of fact, I don't. You are neglecting this one. There will be time to check on him, but now is not. I want you up here in the next five minutes. At any given moment there are roughly 86-thousand people waiting for an organ, get the hell up there and start helping or I'll let Xehnort use yours!"

Axel sighed and rubbed his brow with his other hand. "Alright, alright. I'm coming." The redhead clicked the phone off and closed it. Sighing before he stood up. "I have to go. Ansem is angry that I left…"

"Did I get you in trouble?" Roxas bit his lip, worry going to his face.

"No I got myself in trouble, don't worry about it. What class do you have next? I'll take you."

"I'm not going anywhere, just to the gym with Terra when he comes in." Axel gave a quick nod. "Well I will probably be back later. Bye Roxas, have a nice day." Axel turned to leave when he felt the other's small arms wrap around him.

"Bye Axel." The other released him and gave a light smile. Axel returned it and exited the room.

҉

The voices coming from Ansem's room were anything but pleased. The pointed tone of an elder man rambled on and on, muffled by the heavy door. Inside was Ansem. Not relaxed but not upset, he said a few calm words in hope that his soft tone would bring down that of his former colleague. "And what do you plan to do? Where are we going to get the DNA to produce these organs if we do not use his? You cannot clone what you don't have. A biopsy wouldn't be any threat to his life, after recovery he would be back to normal in a week or two!"

"I see your point, but I refuse to take that route unless all of my team is in favor of it. And it just so happens that the two most important members of my team are set against it." Ansem stated calmly, "We will seek other means to get DNA to clone the organs and reproduce them. I suggest you put all that energy you are using against me toward the project, Xehnort."

"You are not my superior," Xehnort growled.

"No, but I am your friend, and I want to help." The other male gave a short, "Tsk," sound and relaxed back in his chair. Although their postures read something more passive, the air was still electrified with tension. "It will be awhile before you can reap the benefits of the project. So my team and I have discussed buy a few donors off of you. Well, not a few, just two of them from the section of donors you plan to exterminate." Xehnort was surprised at this turn of news, but immediately his lips curled into a smile.

"Well I guess we should negotiate price." Ansem nodded. "How about one hundred thousand?"

"That seems a bit pricey, don't you think?"

"For two donors? Their organs, muscle, and hair are worth well over that. As an added bonus I'll even have them woken up and sent to you within the next few weeks." Ansem's brow furrowed but the other held steady on the suggestion.

"Fine Xehnort, you prick." Ansem rubbed his brow.

҉

Axel's time with Roxas was cut short that evening, Xemnas had pulled him out to go over some notes from the new project. They planned to generate some ideas for the next day. Xehnort's staff was overly anxious to begin working on the project. Any experimentation would come straight from Xehnort's facility. There would be a donor waiting for them tomorrow, ready to harvest when needed, but Axel wasn't informed of that. He now sat at his kitchen counter. Riku was pressing him for information about the first rendezvous with the blonde since that one emotional night last week. Axel assured him that it wasn't anything special other than talking and just enjoying each other's company. The blonde had made a striking amount of progress since his absence on the other hand.

"Well that's boring." Riku sighed. "I honestly imagined a heart-wrenching reunion. You know, a lover's embrace, hugs, kisses, then a majestic ride into the sunset." The silver haired man had a devilish look on his face.

Axel just shook his head; there wasn't much to say to that, "don't tell me you have been drinking that tea again." Axel mumbled. Riku gave a short chuckled, but their conversation didn't last much longer. After a while of talking and an hour of television the bother retired to bed.

҉

_They were swimming again in odd patterns. Although they didn't chant, their actions clearly read distress. I reached my hand into the lake; I wanted to sooth them with a gentle touch, but my fingers tangled in the lake's hair. I was confused and recoiled. Cradling my hand gently and looking at the water's surface hurt. The flutter of wings came from behind me; the yellow bird hopped closer, closer than it ever had before. We connected eyes and then he gestured to the water with a turn of this head. Bubbles were coming from the middle of the lake. The air was foul, the sky had clouded over. A body popped up from the center like a cork. I jumped back, I tried to let out a scream, but I had no voice. The only sound came from the world around, and the bubbling lake. I bit my lip and continued watching, the water's surface was alive. The water bubbled as if it was boiling and all at once millions of bodies popped to the surface. The air was rancid. _

Axel woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up strait panting. After a moment of looking around the room frantic he sighed and laid back. A yellowed light from the street lamp filtered in through his window. Axel groaned at its brightness, it seemed to be persistent about sending a stream of light in the window to keep him awake. After a few moments of debate the redhead stood bitterly and went over to his window to close the blinds when something caught his eye. Parked outside of the shop's front doors was a black car. The car was running, headlights on. Axel glanced back at the clock: Three o'clock. His eyes returned to the car and narrowed. Suddenly a person walked to the car, they came straight from the area that the shop doors would approximately be. Axel stomach lurched, fear and adrenaline coarsening though his body. The man was dressed in solid back, a smoothed leather coat over a sweatshirt with a hood. The man made a motion to get into the passenger side of the car, leaned in for a moment and then looked back up, peering at Axel's window. The redhead's eyes widened, the man's face was concealed behind a pair of sun glasses and a harsh shadow yet Axel was certain that the other below gave in a smile before getting into the car and speeding off. A chill ran down his spine, he couldn't tell Riku. Axel proceeded into the living area of the apartment, grabbing a knife for precaution, and going down the stairs slowly. He checked the shop before receding back up the stairs, locking the door, and sitting on the couch for the next few hours.

_"Wake up… Axel… Axel come on…" _Axel groggily opened his eyes, and looked up at the blonde staring down at him_. "Get up."_

"Roxas," Axel smiled, his eyes kept falling shut. The other smiled at him, stretching his arms out to give the other a warm hug but instead the blonde's face twisted to a scowl, his hand slamming down and giving the other a firm whack to the skull.

"I'm not Roxas, wake the fuck up lover boy." Riku growled. He returned to the kitchen to grab the whistling kettle on the stove. Axel was completely awake and had turned full circle to glare at the other male.

"Jesus Riku." Axel growled as his hands when to sooth his now throbbing head. "What the hell was that for?"

"To get you up, dumbass. What else?" Axel growled and stood. Storming into his room where he popped a few pain killers and then took a shower. He proceeded out into the kitchen afterward where he grabbed something from the basket on the counter. "Are you going to tell me?" Riku called to him from the living area.

"Tell you what?" Axel responded, sounding less than thrilled.

"Why you slept on the couch. Did something happen?"

"No."

"You're lying." Axel didn't respond to him, Riku simply shook his head. "What ever it is, I live here too and when you can tell me I want to know." Axel nodded, although it was more to himself since Riku had no idea he made the gesture. "What time is it?"

"Seven forty five." The other nodded.

"I'll see you when you come home then." Axel stood to leave the room. He grabbed his things for work, and hesitantly stepped outside, checked the backseat of his car, looked in his rearview mirror, and finally left.

҉

"Our plan resembles the means in which we produced Roxas. Each individual organ would need a compartment that resembles the pregestinal tank. This will keep the organs safe, isolated, and warm. The tanks themselves need to be up to a normal body temperature. In addition they need to be connected to a continuous supply of artificial blood that is properly oxygenated and full of nutrient, much like the umbilical cord on Roxas. If we can keep a whole human alive then there is no reason to think that we cannot keep a single organ alive. We will start with the pancreas, kidneys, and liver. Later we will redesign a special system for lungs and heart. You lose a lot of resources with the rejection of donors, but there is a lot of gain ethically. In that sense we will be going back in medicine. People will have to revert back to old technologies since complete skin transplants will no longer be possible." Xemnas flipped though his notes. "We needed an idea, and here it is, courtesy of Doctor Axel and myself. Our team will have a better hand on it since the equipment isn't foreign to them. In addition I have personally taken note on different purposed approaches from other members of the project from both facilities; these notes are a result of just that. This I feel is our best course of action."

"And what do you think Axel, do you agree?" Ansem asked. He had the file in his hand and was looking over the typed report, models, and diagrams. He looked over his glasses at the other.

It was obvious that the redhead wasn't listening. He startled when he was addressed but calmed and gave a quick nod. "Yeah, I fully agree with it," he trailed off. Xemnas and Ansem shot each other a look, but then Ansem shrugged and leaned back in his seat.

"When and if you can sustain organs with this hypothesis, I will let you build bigger models. I want numerous trails; a dead organ is a waste of money. I want them to last a year, let's start with a month first." The others nodded, "I want you to get right on that, Xehnort was very angry."

"We will, Doctor," Xemnas gave the other a nod and then stood, motioned to Axel to follow him, and left the room. They were going down the hall but instead of going into Lab 4 Xemnas went to his office. Axel stood confused looking in at the other man. "Come, Axel." The redhead came in raising a brow at the other. Axel closed the door behind him.

"Yeah Xemnas?"

"What's going on Axel." The other male gave him a confused look. "You cannot hide things from me. Ansem and I both noticed your odd behavior, so what's going on?"

"Look it's no big deal." Xemnas responded with a glare. "Okay. But I don't want Ansem to know …okay?" the other male shrugged. "I've been noticing a car hanging around my place lately." Axel walked over and flopped into the chair, rubbing his brow with exhaustion. "And I woke up around three fucking A.M. and they were right outside the shop, and I honestly think they were inside the shop because a man walked from the front doors and they got into their car."

Xemnas's brow furrowed. "How long has this been going on?"

"Only a few days, long enough to raise a red flag."

Xemnas nodded. "I won't tell Ansem, but if something else happens have Riku call the cops. You can't keep this to yourself."

"Yeah," Axel shrugged, "I guess so," Xemnas placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Axel," his voice was firm, "If it continues, tell the police." Axel nodded, averting eye contact as if he was a scolded child.

"Okay."

҉

"I am so glad its Friday." Roxas sighed as he stretched across the table.

"Do you not like class?" Zexion asked as he looked over Roxas' work.

"No it's not that, I am just a bit tired. And, I don't know, I guess I want to run." Zexion looked up from the paper with an amused smile.

"Then go run."

Roxas let out another sigh, "I want to run somewhere. I get bored running in the gym. Sure I'm running but I'm staying in the same place."

"Well maybe Ansem will let you go run somewhere," He put the test scores down and slid them over to the blonde. "You did exceedingly well. Ansem will be very impressed." Roxas perked up, looking at the professor. "Perfect score." He informed and Roxas shot him a huge smile before laying his head in his arms again. Zexion stood and retrieved the plant from the outside the side door of the library and set it on the table. "Are you not sleeping well?"

"No, I slept through the night." He answered, the sound muffled by his arms.

"Maybe you had a nightmare." Roxas looked up at him questioningly. "Bad dream." The professor clarified. The other simply nodded. Roxas sat straighter to examine the small little green leaf that was sprouting form the dirt of the pot. The blonde smiled.

"It's so tiny. Is it really going to grow as big as the stuff outside? I mean, they are just so massive."

"The trees?" Roxas nodded. "No, it will only be a few inches, a foot tall at maximum, but that's a stretch." Zexion cleared up. Roxas nodded. "Did you read the new text book chapter?"

Roxas nodded, "yeah, like five times. I have read the whole thing…"

Zexion shrugged. "Do you have any questions?"

Roxas thought about it, but then shrugged. "No I think I have it. If you spent like a class on each chapter to review, just for safety measure. I'm sure we could do the final exam and move on. What's after this?"

"Human Anatomy, earth science, chemistry." Zexion stated. Roxas nodded. He pulled the text book over and Zexion began to have an open discussion with him about the information in the chapter, explaining the harder concepts and letting the obvious ones slip. They continued this until the nurse came a few hours later and collected the blonde.

Roxas groaned as he laid back across the couch. He stared up at the ceiling. Axel couldn't make it down to lunch with him due to the project Xehnort had going, and Roxas, having read all his books and already eaten his food, wanted to desperately do something. Thus he laid there thinking. He wasn't going to leave his room, partially because the door was lock, but because he didn't want to upset the Doctors. He was bored, and a bit anxious.

"Is everything alright in here?" A deep, voice called in. Roxas recognized it; it had been a very long time. The blonde sat up to see the tall Doctor standing in his doorway. It was Ansem.

The blonde sat up, a bit dumbfounded. "Hello, Doctor Ansem," He paused; neither of the two said anything. "What are you doing?"

"Just checking up on you. I spoke with Professor Zexion. I am very impressed."

"Thank you Sir, I have been working very hard." Roxas sat patiently waiting for a response, the other made no effort to speak. He was more like a presence, standing and watching from the doorway. "Do you know when Axel will come see me?"

The elder man chuckled at that, "You sure have taken a shine to him, haven't you?" He asked teasingly.

The blonde blushed, "He is my best friend."

"Ahaha, good, good," The elder man laughed and nodded. "He is busy, but if you hold out awhile longer I'm sure he will meander down here eventually." The other nodded.

"So, what am I doing this weekend? Professor Zexion acted as if I wasn't having classes."

Ansem gave and nod. He finally stepped in letting the door click closed behind him, making his way over and taking a seat on the couch, "Ah yes, I meant to speak with you about that. I am impressed with your improvement over the past few weeks... Do you enjoy it here?"

Roxas shrugged. "Yeah it's nice. I mean, I really have nothing to compare it to," The other gave a hearty laugh. "Outside of classes though I kind of get bored. All of the books Tifa gave me are dull, to easy and well… end. Then I have nothing to do except talk to whoever comes in the room." Ansem gave a concerned expression at this.

"Well that is troublesome, idle hands do make idle minds, and someone like yourself needs plenty of stimuli to keep you entertained and thinking." He rubbed his brow perplexed for a moment, and then smiled. "I do hope to make you comfortable here. I want you to think of this place as your home and the staff as your family."

Roxas shrugged, "Yeah I guess I already do."

"Fantastic. Doctor Axel purposed an idea to take you on field trips. Would you feel comfortable with that?"

"Field trip?" Roxas asked curiously.

"Yes, where you leave the facility and go someplace to learn." Roxas' eyes widened at the idea and he nodded enthusiastically.

"YES!" He exclaimed. Ansem jump a bit at the reaction and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Is it really that bad here?" His brow furrowed with concern.

The blonde bit his lip and nodded no, "I just am feeling bored today, that that sounds really exciting," He smiled at the thought of it again.

"Understandable," The elder Doctor said softly. "Before you go you need two booster shots still, think of this as incentive to behave for them," He gave a light chuckle and ruffled the blonde's hair as the color drained from his face. "You will also need another physical, I will send a nurse and Doctor Axel in to do it during you guidance time, okay?" Roxas bit his lip nervously and nodded. Ansem got up, "Tomorrow morning you will leave for your trip, I will have Xemnas arrange it." Roxas nodded. "I am very proud of you. I look forward to seeing great things from you." He smiled at the other and then left the room. Roxas' lips curled into a smile. He was ecstatic to see what the outside world was like. He thought about the time Zexion let him outside, he closed his eyes as he remembered the way the air smelled and the warmth of the light on his skin as if her were outside right then. The door opened and Terra came in bidding him a good after noon, and to be ready in five minutes. Roxas got up and spent the next few hours running off his excitement before it was Tifa's turn to have him.

҉

For the first time in Roxas' life he was not excited to see Axel. Axel walked up to the door and began to fiddle with the keys as he balanced the bag he was holding; Roxas became nervous to the point of shaking. Axel came in giving the other a smile as he set his bags down. Upon realizing the condition of Roxas he quick went over the blonde, bending down and feeling his forehead, and then giving him a confused look.

"Roxas? What's wrong, are you sick?"

The blonde looked up at him nervously, trembling. He shrugged and shook his head. "Doctor Ansem said… I had to get a shot." He bit his lower lip nervously after stating that.

Axel frowned, feeling as if he was playing the part of the bad guy but it was vital to the other's health. "Sorry Roxas… Do you want to just get it over with, or do you want to wait till after the physical." The blonde looked up at him briefly and shrugged, casting his eyes downwards immediately after. Axel placed his hand on Roxas' shoulder. "Here, let's just get it over with." Aerith had entered the room and upon hearing that prepared the syringes for the doctor.

"Axel, why don't you hold him, I can give the shots." Axel nodded and mouthed a 'thank you' to her as he sat down on the love seat and pulled the trembling blonde to his chest. Roxas didn't mean to, but small tears began to trickle down his cheeks.

"Shhh, its okay Roxas," Axel stroked the blonde's hair gently; Aerith took hold of his arm, causing Roxas a sudden burst of adrenaline. He let out a whimper but it was over in a minute.

"See Roxas, that wasn't so bad," Aerith's chipper voice cut in after it was done. Roxas looked up at her and gave a weak smile turning to Axel smiled as well.

"Bad part's over. Now dry your tears and we'll get down to business," Axel teased. Roxas' trembling ceased moments later and he smiled at the others, stood and gave them a nod. "You can stay on the couch, it doesn't matter." Axel stated, he came over with his stethoscope.

"Hey!" Roxas exclaimed excitedly, causing the other two to give him a questioning look. "I remember that Axel. From the first day I met you." He laughed pointing at the stethoscope, "It lets you listen to my heart, what is it again?"

"Stethoscope," Axel provided. The other blushed and nodded. Axel brought the clipboard over, putting the plugs in his ears and lifting the blonde's shirt to pres the cool metal to his chest to listen. He instructed the blonde to take a few deep breaths, which he did and then move to listen to his back. "Lungs are clear, heart sounds fine…" he continued to write down his findings. Roxas peeked at the clipboard looking over the various boxes and labels, he didn't really understand. "Alright Roxas, lay down for me, hands at your sides." Roxas nodded and stretched out on the love seat. Axel then proceeded to kneed around his stomach to check his organs, asking every now and again if anything hurt, which was pointless since the blonde could hardly keep still, giggling when Axel's warm hands poked him in just the right place. The redhead too laughed at the squirming blonde, finishing and checking a few things from his clipboard. A few procedures later and Axel was finished with the exam. Aerith excused herself and Axel informed her he would stay the full counseling period. He leaned back on the couch and groaned. Roxas was giggling and scooted over to him giving him a big smile. When Axel looked at the blonde he about lost himself as he doubled over to laugh, shoving the other gently back so he fell to the other side of the love seat. "That smile was seriously creepy."

"What?" The other asked laughing as he propped himself up on his arms. "What do you mean?"

"You, with your creeper smile, what gives? Someone is happy?" the two laughed for a bit.

Roxas pulled his legs to an Indian style position. "I'm excited."

"Ah, so Ansem did tell you?" the other nodded, "I wondered if he did. Where do you want to go?"

"I want to see your home."

The redhead nodded. "Yeah we will stop in." Roxas gave him a big smile and the redhead laughed again grabbing him and giving the blonde a hug. "Sorry about the shot Roxas," He said softly. The other shrugged.

"It's okay, you had to, and I'm over it now." Axel nodded.

"So how have you been today, I usually see you before now. Busy day?"

Axel rolled his eyes, "Jesus yes… I was managing a new project and I hardly got sleep last night!"

Roxas cocked his head. "That's funny, I didn't sleep well either. What was wrong?"

"Well," Axel started, but he bit back his words when he thought about it. Roxas wouldn't understand the alarm of the strange occurrences that played out earlier that day, and if he did, Axel didn't want him to worry. He swiftly switched to another answer. "Riku was up baking all night and to be honest he was really loud." Roxas laughed at that.

"I really want to meet him. Do you think he would let me bake? I have never made anything before."

Axel gave the blonde a small smile, "Roxas if you really want we could bake all day." The others eyes lit up and the two shared another laugh. "Well what about you Blondie? Why couldn't you sleep," Roxas' laughter died down and have gave the floor a perplexed look for a moment before turning to Axel.

"To be honest I don't know… I kind of feel like I had a dream, but I can't remember it."

"Awe, that sucks I hate not remembering my dreams." Axel sighed.

"See there's the thing, I never remember them." Roxas stated. "Is that normal?"

Axel gave him a reassuring smile. "Very normal, don't worry. You will remember one of them some time."

"I'm not worried." Roxas smiled and leaned back. He left out a big sigh and the two were quiet for the first time that night. After a while of relaxing Roxas spoke. "I can't wait to go outside tomorrow. I get sick of being in here, well more bored. I honestly don't think about it when I'm in class. But Zexion took me out once."

"Really?" Axel asked his eyebrow rose at that.

"Don't tell Ansem," Roxas piped up quickly, "I don't want him to be in trouble."

Axel relaxed back into the seat again, "Nah I don't see the need to rat him out, it was probably good for you anyways."

Roxas gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah it was. It's really beautiful out there. To be honest I sometimes feel a bit sad in here. Especially last weekend when I couldn't see you…"

Axel looked at the blond from the corner of his eyes. He was clenching his fists tightly, with a sad, confused look as he stared downward. Axel sat up, making a scene of it with a long loud yawn to attract the others attention. Roxas gave him a smile, Axel returned it. "I'm sorry to hear that Roxas." He stated softly, Roxas shrugged and looked back to his hands in his lap. Axel reached out and placed a hand firmly on his shoulder. "One day, you will be able to go outside whenever you want. Till then you just have to prove to Ansem that you are ready for bigger and better things."

"How do I do that?" Roxas asked Axel softly.

The elder male smiled, "Learn everything they have to teach you, become so good at it that you make the teacher look dumb. Once you do that Ansem will have to let you go. He might even let you become a doctor. Hey! Maybe we could work together." The redhead said as he playfully punched the others arm.

Roxas gave the other a light smile, "Do you really think so?"

"I know so." Axel stated. He got up from the seat and stretched a bit. "Well Roxas, I have to go."

Roxas raised an eyebrow, "Why Axel, we have hardly had any time together."

"I know, and I would love to stay but believe it or not we are half an hour over, and I don't want Xemnas to come do here and yell at me for keeping you up. Besides, you need rest for tomorrow." Roxas smiled and got up too.

"I guess you're right, but I doubt I will sleep."

"That's fine; you just have to try so I don't get chewed out by the old guys."

Roxas let out a laugh and nodded, "Okay, fine then. We wouldn't want that to happen anyway." Axel smiled and took the blonde into his arms.

"Night Roxas," He said softly.

Roxas' heat thudded, he flushed lightly and hugged the other back. "Night Axel." The redhead released the blonde and gave him a wave as he turned and exited the room, locking the door behind him. Roxas quietly walked to his room, flicking on the light when he got inside. He made his way to the bed where he stripped before he laid down in the soft blankets. He asked the blue screen to turn off the lights; it obeyed with a soft click showing the message, "Goodnight Roxas," across the screen. Roxas turned away to block out the harsh blue light and fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys sorry I have been so slow with my updates. So, here is something I kind of want your help with, if you guys see any typos please copy and paste the sentence into a review so I can fix them. I edit every chapter and reread like crazy but it was brought to my attention that I miss a few, that's embarrassing and I would like to fix them. **

**I addition I changed the content in chapter six. I'm not sure if you people who get alerts are informed of that but it's a paragraph that kinda wraps up the shit in chapter five because I have looked over some details… yeah I'm a detail freak… anyways the plot is getting tangled and it will take me a while to sort out these next few chapters so hold tight.**

_I was stuck here. The yellow bird beside me, we watched the seemingly endless flow of bodies bubble up from the lake. It smelled like decay, it was dark, the color of the world dull. I watched as shadow after shadow in a long line that stretched as far back as the oak tree walked to the lake clutching their torsos in pain, vomiting black, and snatching a body from the water, hauling it away. Sometimes the shadows would become restless; they would shove and harm each other, grab a body and fight for it. The bodies couldn't move, they smelled like death but their chests heaved up and down in soothing sleeplike breaths. Even those who were face down breathed the water as easily as fish. I watched this the whole time._

"Wake up Roxas." The blonde groaned at the hand and voice which was intent on rousing him. "Get up, we're losing daylight. It's seven, come on." Roxas groaned rolling over looking groggily at the redhead before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Come on, get up. You need a shower, I'll wait here." Roxas threw his covers off and got up from the bed. The redhead looked him over, surprised to find him in nothing but his boxer, unaware that he was staring. Roxas looked at Axel curiously and then gasped; bringing his arms up to cover himself. Axel blushed upon realizing what he was doing and immediately turned his head and covered his eyes. "Sorry," He blurted. Roxas had rushed to the bathroom, door slamming shut. Flustered, he went to the sink and stared at himself calming from embarrassment. After a moment to collect himself he chewed his lip nervously with a smile.

Axel mentally cursed himself as he leaned back onto the bed. He didn't mean to make things awkward between the blonde. The shower turned on in the other room, he smiled, paused, and then mentally kicked himself again. Axel stood to busy himself with things. He started to make Roxas' bed and collect his dirty clothes from the floor. When he finished Roxas had gotten out of the shower. Axel sat on the bed and waited. The door cracked open and Roxas stuck his head out. "Um, Axel?" the redhead gave him a questioning look. "Could you… hand me some clothes?"

"Oh," Axel got up, "I could just leave if you want."

"No its fine… Just hand me some clothes."

"Okay…right," Axel chuckled and went to the drawer. "What do you want… oh… um…? Hey Roxas…well... here..." Axel tossed him a pair of white pants, boxer, shirt, and socks.

Roxas gave him a perplexed looked but took them inside none the less and put it on. When he finished Roxas came out of the bathroom, Axel gave him a grin and stood. "Are you ready?" The blonde nodded. "We got to stop somewhere though and get you some jeans." Roxas looked down at his white pants and gave him a questioning look.

"Why?"

"Well no one where's only white. Ansem makes you do it so when you walk around the facility where you aren't suppose to be people will recognized you. You would stick out like a sore thumb, and we want you to blend in." Axel gave him a smile. The two went out into the living area. Roxas was ahead and automatically went over and sat on the love seat. "What are you doing," Axel asked as he caught up.

"Waiting for breakfast." Roxas stated, curious why the redhead didn't already know. He did it every morning.

"No, no, we aren't eating here."

"Where are we eating?" Roxas got up and went to Axel's side as he made his way to the door.

"Somewhere that looks good I suppose." Axel opened the door and held it for the blonde, they then continued down the hallway. Axel stopped Roxas when they came to a side exit door. He reached into his pocket and took out a silver bracelet. He clicked a button on it and then handed it to the blonde. "Put this on. Ansem won't let you go if you don't have it on." Roxas slipped it on.

"What is it?"

"Tracking devise." Axel stated nonchalantly as he opened the door. The sun was bright and blinded Roxas for a moment as he stepped out onto the pavement. It was a parking lot. Axel came next to him. "Welcome to the outside world Roxas." He took no time to begin to his car. Roxas on the other hand began looking around in awe when his eyes finally adjusted to the light. There were large, shiny objects everywhere. The ground was hard and black, he could see green farther off. He was about to step off the curb to follow Axel when one of the shiny things zipped by him. Roxas jumped back and Axel started at the blonde's yelp, he had though the other was right on his heels, apparently not. He walked back over. "You okay Roxas?"

The blonde gave him a look of shock and pointed, "What are all these things?"

"Cars," Axel stated as he put his hand on his shoulder, the blonde looked up, catching his breath and smiling weakly.

"Sorry, guess I'm nervous. One ran by, it scared me."

Axel laughed lightly at that. "They don't run Roxas." The blonde gave him a questioning look. "Here," the redhead extended his hand, "I'll explain on the way." They held hands as Axel ushered him across the parking lot quickly. "Cars are not alive. They are inanimate object that people use to go from place to place quickly. I have one, and we are going to use it. What you saw back there was someone driving a car." Roxas gave him a questioning look but his attention was drawn elsewhere as when they walked up to a silver car. Axel opened the door of the passenger side and instructed him to get inside. Roxas awkwardly climbed in, sitting and looking around. Axel shut the door and walked around and got in the driver's seat.

"Now what?" Roxas asked. Axel chuckled and took his keys from his pants pocket, putting them in the ignition and letting car come on. The noise startled the other, as he suspected, and it took a moment for him to calm, relaxing as he listened to the vibrating thump of the pistons.

"You okay?" Axel teased.

"Yeah," Roxas gave him a smile, "What's… going on?"

"Well, I'll be honest with you, I'm not a mechanic. I don't really know what's going on under the hood but I turned on the car, which allows me to drive it…" Roxas laughed accepting the answer, he watch the redhead shift into drive and pull out of the parking lot, startling at the feeling of movement but eventually relaxing by the time they got to the highway leading back to the city. Axel rolled the window down from the blonde, who was peering out of it, letting the wind hit his face. He was excited. Axel was a bit nervous about the trip. Today, roughly a month since his first breath of air, Roxas was finally permitted to go outside. He wasn't quite sure how many people would recognize the blonde, thus took him to the teashop first. Pulling to the curb he got out of the car and opened the door for the blonde, since Roxas couldn't seem to figure it out. Roxas stepped out wobbly, as if he was regaining land legs from a long ocean voyage. Axel quickly ushered him inside where Kairi and Sora stood. They were busy with a few customers, looked up, waved, and then sent the curious blonde accompanying him an odd expression.

"Who's that?" Kairi asked.

"Friend from work," Axel blurted, rushing by them. Everyone gave the pair a curious looks as Roxas was lead upstairs. The blonde was trying to turn around and get a good look at the place, but Axel kept him moving. Once inside he took Roxas to sit on the couch. "Sorry about that blondie," Axel stated, "I just need to-…"

"I do hope I'm not disturbing anything," Riku said teasingly from the doorway, "But I'm curious, who yah brought home?" He softly walked into the room, stopping where he heard Axel from, which was spot on. "Is it _him_?"

"Who's that Axel?" Roxas asked curiously.

Axel rolled his eyes; the silver haired man was donning a devilish grin. "Riku, hey. Um…come here Roxas." The blonde came over to the pair, looking up at them both. "Roxas, this is my roommate, Riku. Riku, as you already guessed, this is Roxas."

The silver haired man smiled, Roxas just looked up at him curiously, his eyes were closed. Roxas knew the other male was blind but it was odd to see. "It's nice to meet you. Axel told me _so_ much about you."

"He has?" Roxas now looked to Axel, who blushed.

"Ah, hey Riku, I need to run next door and pick him up some clothes so he can… blend in better. Do you mind keeping an eye on him? Just for a minute."

"I would if I had an eye to spare, but I don't. Besides, does he really need a babysitter?" Riku stated as he turned around to leave.

"God damnit Riku, then keep him company! I'll be right back." The silver haired man sighed and the shrugged, going to take a seat on the couch. Roxas gave the redhead a worried look but then joined the other on the couch. Axel left the room.

"Humph, he sure was bossy." Roxas raised an eyebrow at Riku.

"What do you mean…?"

Riku shrugged, "I don't like it when he tells me what to do..."

"Oh." The two sat in awkward silence for a bit, the clock in the kitchen steadily ticked. Riku leaned his head back against the couch and listened to the other. He breathed soft and low in a relaxing pattern, but he felt the tension in the air. Riku really wasn't one to make friends easily, coupled with the fact that Roxas probably was a bit over whelmed and shy since he had never had to make friends. Roxas looked around the room, his eyes kept going back to the black screen mounted on the wall, it looked similar to his blue one, and remembered it being called a television, he had read it somewhere in a textbook. There was a window on the other side of the room, and Roxas felt the urge to get up and look out it, but Riku began to speak.

"So…Roxas." He started slowly. "How is the facility… do you like it there?" He listened for the response. It was hesitant, and awkward. The brief pause before his words indicated feelings other than what was said.

"I do. Everyone is nice to me, and I have been learning a lot. I honestly get bored sometimes, but I don't mind because Axel visits me a lot." He gave the other a smile, and the stopped and looked down when he remembered the other couldn't see it.

Riku took another moment to think about the blonde's answer. "What about Axel, do you like him?"

Roxas sent him a perplexed look, thought a moment and nodded. "Yes, he is my best friend."

Riku smiled at that, "That's good." There was more to that answer as well. "Well it's great that you're happy, do you know where Axel is taking you today?"

"Not really, he said you could teach to bake maybe though."

"Oh really? He said that?" The silver haired man smiled, letting out a soft chuckle. The blonde smiled back as well.

"You don't have to. It's okay, I understand that you're busy."

The response was genuine and sweet, Riku smile warmly at him. "Have you had anything for breakfast Roxas?" The blonde shook his head no, but Riku understood, he could hear the boy's stomach. "Why don't we make some for you and Axel?" Roxas beamed a smile at him and stood up.

"We can do that?" Riku just laughed at him and nodded. Standing and leading the way to the kitchen where he took out four eggs, four slices of bread, a package of bacon, and butter. After getting the bacon on, he decided to do that part since he didn't want the blonde to burn himself, he proceeded to explain to the younger male about how that stove worked, scolding the other only once when he touched a warming burner. Roxas tried to crack a few eggs, Riku helped him scoop out the pieces of egg shell since Roxas was very clumsy, in fact he hit one egg on the counter so hard that it broke all over the floor. It was rough, but Riku was uncharacteristically patient today.

҉

"Thanks," Axel said to the store clerk as he took his bag and received his change. He guessed Roxas was roughly a small, figuring that the clothes might be a bit big on him. He had grabbed a few different types of jeans, shirts, and jackets. He didn't want to have to come back here again and figured he could keep the clothing up in Xemnas's office since Ansem would probably not allow Roxas to wear them around the facility. Exiting the store he made his way to the tea shop where he entered, noticing the lack of customers, how long had he been gone? Axel climbed the stairs to his apartment, smelling bacon cooking; he could hear laughter from the inside. Axel opened the door and to his surprise saw Roxas managing some eggs on the stove with Riku beside him, instructing him that he had to keep scrambling the eggs or they would burn. Axel came in with his bag of clothes. "You guys look like you're having fun."

The pair turned and Roxas gave him a huge smile, "We are making you breakfast, so sit somewhere."

"But I bought you clothes. Don't you want to see them?"

"Go ahead Roxas, I can do the rest of this." Roxas gave the other a smile and then walked to Axel who put the bags down and allowed Roxas to look inside. He pulled out some skinny jeans and a long sleeve plaid jacket, giving the redhead a thankful smile.

"Go put them on and we can head out soon. My room is at the very end of the hall," He pointed. Roxas went into the room, closing the door behind him. Axel walked to the counter and leaned against it.

"He's cute." Riku stated.

"How do you know, you can't see him," Axel responded teasingly.

Riku sighed and turned, getting two plates from the cupboard. He set them down and began to put eggs onto each, then sat the pan in the sink. "I meant his personality. He's a nice kid. And I understand what you meant, he is intelligent, but naïve…" Axel nodded.

"Yeah, he's cute." The door down the hall opened and Roxas came out smiling shyly as he came around the counter to sit. "Do you like them?" Axel asked he was answered by a quick nod of the head. Riku finished cooking and dished food onto their plates, setting them in front of the pair. He turned the stove off and laid the dishes into the sink.

"I have to get back to work, enjoy you two." He waved and left in an instant. The two sat at the counter and ate their food quietly.

"Thank you." Axel said after a moment which got the blonde's attention, "For making breakfast." Axel finished when Roxas looked confused.

The other simply beamed him a smile. "It was a lot of fun." The redhead nodded.

"That's good then, maybe we can come back later and make something else."

"I would like that very much," Roxas stated softly, holding Axel's eyes in his for a moment before turning back to his plate and finishing his breakfast. Roxas had a strange way of making him become completely absorbed in his eyes; to be honest Axel cursed him for it. It made him feel weak. He was still just as set on maintaining a friendship rather than romance, just as the blonde was set on doing the opposite… or at least Axel felt that way. When Roxas was done he took both plates to the sink and gave Axel his attention inquiring where they would go next.

"The Metropolitan, it's a Museum and really our only required destination for the day. At eleven Xemnas has a privet tour set up for us. It will be nice; there is a lot of old art in there. That whole section of the city has really grown into a haven for all sorts of outings and activity."

"Oh, I read about that in a history text book… the museum I mean… there are pictures people make right?"

Axel nodded, "Well you will have to tell your history professor that you saw some then."

"Right," Roxas laughed, "But it's only eight thirty, where are we heading next?" The blonde asked, he walked around the room and examined the television, and then made his way to the window and gasped at the sight below. Axel startled at this and immediately stood.

"What's wrong Roxas?" He came to the blonde's side with a look of concern.

"It's beautiful, what is it?" Roxas let his forehead rest on the glass, the cool glass soothing him as he looked out at the most gorgeous sight of crystal white meeting the soft tones of lush green foliage. Axel simply smiled.

"It's a park, but we call it the crystal garden."

"It's beautiful," he repeated.

Axel looked at the other with a soft smile, "yes it is." His gaze returned to the park below them. "I can take you out there, if you would like."

It was one of the warmer days, September, although Augusts' warmth had carried through, the leaves still knew the time of year and the bright green that once graced the trees was not changing to a slight yellow pigmentation, it still beard a freshness. The park stretched over a mile in each direction. There was a warm breeze, the temperature peaked at seventy that afternoon, and the flowers were starting to droop, but Roxas didn't see any of these minor changes in nature, he only saw what was there now. For the first time in his life he was able to run, not by command, and not out of fear, out of joy. It started by a slow walk as the two entered the park, Roxas' eyes lit up by the surrounding nature. The park was void save a couple of lovers on the bench, and a man with a dog farther on. Roxas had shot the other a playful smirk and took off running, pulling the redhead after and encouraging him with giggly exclaims of, "Come on." or, "Let's go over here Axel!" Roxas ran off ahead of the redhead, letting go, running and stopping, flopping onto his back near one of the white birch trees. Axel had stopped running. The sky was spotted with fluffy clouds, colored a soft blue. Roxas chest heaved up and down rapidly as he sought to reclaim his breath, watching above and then closing his eyes and taking in the smell of the grass underneath him, feeling the wind, the texture of the ground against his back, and the rapid thump of his heart.

"Tired out blondie?" Roxas smiled and opened his eyes; Axel stood just a way so that he eclipsed the sun. The redhead came down and laid on the grass next to the other male, who turned his attention from the sky to Axel. "We couldn't have asked for a nicer day," The redhead sighed.

Roxas nodded, "Yeah, my science Professor Zexion said that sometimes it rains… you know when water falls from the sky… and it can snow, and a whole bunch of other stuff…"

Axel gave a soft chuckled at the statement, "Yeah, I know what rain is."

"Have you ever seen it?"

"All the time."

Roxas looked back to the sky. "Wow." He stated. Axel smiled and propped himself onto his elbows looking over at the blonde. Roxas was watching the sky but grew confused as the redhead continued to stare, he glanced over at the other. "Yeah?" He asked softly.

"I want to show you my favorite place." Roxas grinned and agreed. The pair stood, Axel helping up the smaller male. They followed the crystal path to the more secluded place of the park. There was a pond with a large crystalline formation stretching from the center to the outside edge, placed so that it almost bisected the body of water in half. Around the back of the formation was an area more secluded by trees, there were no benches and the water was coated in lily pads. It was the deepest point. The bank had a steady slope, and in a few areas sprouted wild flower other than the normal cat tails. This place wasn't secret, unknown or unexplored. Often times Axel would find that he was not the only person who enjoyed this spot, the only thing it could offer was momentary coverage until the next person came through. Axel led the other back behind the trees and to the sloping bank of the pond. They positioned themselves there, the blonde looking around the space, listening to the soft chirpings of the frogs. "It's no hideaway, but it's still my favorite."

"It's beautiful." Roxas said. Axel laughed at the other.

"You always say that."Axel stated. Roxas shrugged.

"I suppose I do." They simply exchanged smiles, Roxas looking down a moment in thought before looking back out at the pond. "Well, I guess it beats the facility." The other nodded. "It's so white there… blank walls and books."

"I understand, but don't worry about it, you won't be there forever."

Roxas was chewing his lip and shrugged, "I know, you have said that before, but still I can't seem to shake the feeling that… I will be there forever… and that I will never really get away." He paused and the redhead glanced at him concerned. "Don't get me wrong, I like it there, it's my home, but at the same time I want a choice to go there, and a choice to leave… like you have." The words hung in the air, neither person said anything more. They could both hear the soft murmurs of the lovers walking in the path just beyond the trees. Axel checked his watch. They still had a few hours. Roxas left Axel's side and made his way closer to the water's edge and kneeled. He could see little fish swimming, smiling lightly at them.

"Be careful," Axel warned, "I don't need you falling in." The blonde simply nodded and reached his hand in parted the lily pads and ran his fingers though the water. The fish scattered in every direction, desperate to put distance from the intimidating being at the surface. Roxas retreated from the water's edge and came back to stand next to the redhead.

"Let's walk somewhere."

"Yeah, sure," Axel nodded, standing slowly from his place. They came out from the trees, passing the couple stationed on the bench and took the long way around the park, meeting up with the man with his dog. Upon seeing the animal Roxas was both scared and curious considering it yipped annoyingly at the pair. With encouragement from the redhead he approached the animal and pet it.

"Are those common?"

"Are what common?" Axel questioned curiously.

"Animals people keep with them. I know about animals but I didn't know people could keep them…" Roxas gave the other a perplexed look as they continued down the path. "I feel ignorant, I'm sorry, I'm asking too many questions." Roxas averted eye contact.

"No, no Roxas it's fine to ask questions, I just was confused about what you were talking about. It's okay to not know these things, you haven't been around to see any of it until now." The other just shrugged, the answered did not sooth him so Axel just left it and moved on. "Yes, that was a dog, and a lot of people have them."

The blonde nodded, "Ansem wouldn't let me have one though…right?"

The redhead chuckled, "I'm afraid not."

"I already figured," the blonde smiled lightly, "I was just checking." They had reached the end of the path, and stood at the park entrance, Axel led the other out and they walked up the street to his car, explaining on the way that they had to make it to the Metropolitan Museum by one since Xemnas had set up a privet tour. They got into Axel's car and pulled out from behind the black car and drove across the city.

The city was buzzing with life, the front of the museum was crawling with people, getting to the front doors was a task all on its own. Axel instructed the blonde to stay close and keep a hold of his hand which the blond happily obliged to since the immense amount of other people severely intimidated him. He had never seen so many people in his life. The air was ripe with the smell of hot dogs and pretzels, birds close by the stands, cat sized pigeons begging for food like dogs. Although the area was crowded it was hardly loud, the sound of the city, zipping of cars and sirens in the distance were in the background but most of the people silently sat on the steps for lunch or walked by at a quick pace on their cell phones. As they walked down the sidewalk, Axel first and Roxas on his heels, the small blonde looked around the world, it was different from the part of the city he had seen earlier. Whereas the other was secluded, this one was very public to all walks of life. Axel noticed the other's interest in the outside and shot him a reassuring smile. "When we finish in here we can come back out and I'll show you around." The other nodded and they walked into the large front doors of the museum to an entrance that was just as crowded as the outside. An older woman waved them over, her face wrinkled like a bull dogs and she looked shrill even as she sent them what Axel believed was her warmest smile. She shook hands with Axel and Roxas before leading them off to an exhibit. They looked at more of the historical art, rather than the modern pieces, Xemnas figured that it would be a good chance to reinforce his history lessons. It caught the boy's attention and he would repeatedly ask the redhead if someone really painted that, and Axel would always answer with a nod and then redirect his attention to the tour guide. They could have spent all day in the building. Axel was the one to cut the visit short when he heard the grumbling of Roxas' stomach and insisted that they go somewhere for food. The blonde reluctantly agreed, with the trade off that Axel would take him to the gift shop where, as childish as it may be, Axel bought him a teddy bear with the logo of the museum embroidered on its stomach.

"So where are we going now?" Roxas asked looking up at the redhead as they came out of the front entrance; he was holding the bear to his chest like a child. Axel smiled at that.

"Somewhere to eat, it's about… Yeah it's almost four. We were in there for awhile."

Roxas shrugged. "Yeah but it was cool." Roxas looked around at the surrounding people and spotted a vendor. "Hey! How about we eat there!"

Axel raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, sure…if you want to." The other nodded and went over letting the blonde stumble with the food choices and eventually just ordering him a hot dog. They picked a spot on a wall near Central park and sat on it as they looked out into the park.

"This place is huge," Roxas stated through a mouthful of food.

Axel took a moment to swallow and then answered, "It's a lot larger, and older. The park we went to, Crystal Park, is very new, it was from a rebuilding program back in 2020. It's also themed," Axel took another bite and Roxas just hummed his understanding. They sat there and after Roxas finished he hopped down and walked around. "Don't go too far," Axel called after him. Roxas turned and gave him a confused look; he walked over to Axel and stared up at him.

"Why Axel?"

"It's nothing against you, cities are just dangerous." Roxas raised an eyebrow at him. Axel sighed, "I know I'm the last person you want to start micro managing you-"

"Yeah, you're right," Roxas frowned.

Axel just sighed, and got do from his seat, "It's just there are a lot of creeps and psycho's out there and you're cute. I don't need you being kidnapped."

The blonde furrowed his brow. "What's that mean?"

"When someone takes you away from your friends and family, and you never get to come back."

Roxas gave the other a weary look and stepped closer. "Why would anyone do that? What's the purpose, it's just mean."

Axel sighed again, "Well some people are mean Roxas, and they do to hurt you, or sometimes for money, or maybe something's worse. I don't really understand people like that."

"Something worse?"

"Yeah, look, let's not talk about this okay? It's kind of a bad topic." The blonde took Axel's hand. "Do you want to see this park too?" Roxas nodded. It was significantly larger than the other park yet held an air of timelessness in the vast nature which had only undergone minor repairs in its many years of life. Roxas had handed off his bear in exchange to run ahead a bit and look around the area. On a few accounts he had chased squirrels up tree in his attempts to pet them. There were a lot of people out due to the warmth of the day, children and mothers mostly but every so often a person on skates or a bicycle would zip by and startle the blonde. They came out of the more shaded area to a large fountain. There were significantly more people about so that there was a soft buzz of human voices accompanied by the sound of a well-played violin. Roxas walked up to the fountain, Axel behind, and looked up at the statue. And angel, wing spread, face looking down on the people walking by and sitting on her ledge. There was a vendor off in the crowd, the smell of cheap roasted hot dogs lingered in the air. Roxas stared up at her and smiled as a bird flew down and perched on her shoulder. "It's called the Bethesda Fountain. I can't really tell you much more about it… I'm sure if you're curious there is a plaque somewhere." Axel shrugged. The blonde simply smiled at him.

"It's fine. I'm not curious about her." The other nodded and sat down on the edge of the fountain. Roxas turned and did the same. "It's so nice out here." The blonde let out a sigh, closing his eyes and letting the sun hit his face.

"Yeah, it is, but don't let it fool you, in a few more months it's going to be frigid out here." Roxas chuckled.

"I will still love it then."

The redhead snorted at that, "You might, but I will hate it."

"Stop the government from aiding the dogs who are playing god!" Axel perked up at the voice among the crowd. Roxas remained unaware and had turned to splash the water around a bit. The redhead stood looking around and spotting two people, a man and woman. They had a box full of pamphlets, and a bunch of dirty posters littering the ground at their feet. Roxas startled at the redhead's movement and looked to see where Axel was looking. "Don't you see what they are doing! First they murder children, and aid in unjust unions, now they are creating life that they deem perfect!"

"Only god has the right to make life!"

"They are demons. They are not god! We need to stop them from playing with more innocent human lives." There was a small crowd that stood listening, a few people went over and took some of the pamphlets the woman was distributing.

"We need to stop them and their goals to create 'perfection'! First this, and then you're children. It will be a holocaust; they will make us all that way and take away the gifts god has granted us."

"And this thing they have made, he is the devil! The antichrist! We must bring him down and let him burn in hell!" Axel's face paled upon realizing that the pamphlets they were holding, the pamphlets they were distributing, the pamphlets in the hands of the bystanders had the face of a startled and confused blonde in the aisle of the facility auditorium, the blonde that happened to be right at Axel's side in a mass of people next to a hornet's nest. He quickly took the others hand. "We have to go okay?" Axel stated, the blonde took his eyes off of the people and looked to Axel.

"What are those people talking about Axel? They seem angry."

"Don't pay attention to them; they are the psychos I was talking about. Come this way." He said softly, moving the blonde quickly down the pathway.

"Ouch, Axel, you're hurting me, stop walking so fast." The blonde said, he was almost running to keep up with the other, and eventually pulled his arm from Axel's hold. The redhead sent him an apologetic look.

"I didn't mean to, I'm sorry." The blonde shrugged and gave a light sigh as he sat down on a bench. Axel handed the blonde his bear and took his phone from his pocket, dialing Ansem' number. It rang twice and then went to voice mail. Axel let out a frustrated groan and looked back at the blonde. "Will you wait here? I will be right back okay." The blonde gave him a nervous look. "Don't move for anything, got it?" The other nodded and watched as the redhead turned back around and headed towards the fountain.

"Stop these dogs from playing god!" The woman repeated. Axel came up to them and bent down, quickly trying to keep his back to them as he grabbed a few pamphlets. He didn't know if they would recognize him as a facility staff member. The woman had come up behind him and as he stood she said a soft, "God bless you. Tell your friends and family about our cause." Axel looked at her for a brief minute, bit his lip and then turned quick to walk away. The woman's face twisted, brows furrowed and she dropped her pamphlets. "Devil!" She shouted after him, pointing and getting the attention of all the people in the area, "Demon! You will rot in hell for your sins! You will face the ultimate penalty for your crime against god!" Axel quickened his pace to a swift run, "Your time will come!" He could hear the yells of the crowd behind him and as he approached Roxas slowing to a walk. He instructed that the blonde stand, they were heading back to the apartment immediately.

It was one of those uncomfortable drives. Axel had quickly gotten the blonde into the car, and hadn't yet said a word as they sat in the car stuck in traffic. If Axel had been a smoker there was no doubt that he would have already been through a few packs. His face was paler than normal, and he had a few beads of sweat collecting at his brow as he nervously tapped on the steering wheel weaving through traffic when he could. Roxas was holding the bear to his chest. He kept looking over at the redhead nervously. He wasn't sure if he should speak of not, the redhead looked angry, but was he angry at him? "Axel." Roxas said softly. The voice jolted Axel from his thoughts and he tried to relax and give the other a smile. "What's wrong Axel?"

"Nothing we just had to go."

The blonde furrowed his brows at the doctor. "Don't lie Axel. I'm not dumb. What's wrong? Did I do something bad?"

Axel frowned at the other, "You didn't do anything wrong Roxas." He was able to pull through some traffic and get to his turn which was significantly less crowded and allowed him to drive normally.

Roxas paused, "Was it those people?"

Axel pursed his lips. "Yeah."

"Why Axel, what were they doing?"

The redhead licked his lips. "I want to talk to Ansem about it first, okay?" The blonde furrowed his brows.

"I will understand too Axel." He sighed and looked out the window. "I wish you wouldn't keep me in the dark."

Axel felt a twinge of guilt and let out a sigh. "It nothing against you, I promise. I just need his help first."

"I could help you." The blonde said, his words muffled by the fur of his bear. "You just have to let me."

"I know you could…let's talk about something else," Axel suggested, the blonde looked the other over and then sighed.

"Thank you, for taking me. I liked the park, both of them."

Axel smiled, "No problem blondie."

When they arrived the shop was busy with an afternoon rush, Riku was for the first time in a while out in front mixing drinks with Kiari since Sora had left that afternoon due to illness.

"How was it?" Riku called from behind the counter. Roxas walked up to him with Axel behind.

"It was a lot of fun," Roxas stated, Riku chuckled and gave a nod as he went over and began to fill a cup with juice that had just stopped mixing in the blender. "What are you doing?"

"Working," Riku stated, "Not much other than that." He handed the cup to a woman standing impatiently at the counter.

"Can I help?"

Riku frowned at that, "Sorry Roxas, not today, we are way too busy, but next time you can." The blonde simply shrugged and said okay.

Axel who was behind him bent down and whispered in his ear, "Hey, let's go upstairs,"

The blonde looked at him curiously but then nodded and headed for the stairs. "How was it?" Riku asked nervously, the air around the redhead was tense.

"Good but… we got to the park and some things happened. I will tell you about it later. I need to talk to Ansem." The silver haired man frowned.

"I'll wait up for you tonight." Axel gave a nod and followed after Roxas. Once inside the blonde wound down, they had till eight before they had to leave. Axel got on the couch with a blanket and turned on the television. The device invoked extreme interest from Roxas. He climbed onto the couch with the bear next to Axel and flipped through the channels for about ten minutes before he handed it to Axel who found a suitable movie for the other. About twenty minutes into the film Roxas had settled in the blanket against Axel with the bear tucked under his chin where he watched until he found himself falling asleep. Riku came up around eight to the soft sounds of sleeping amidst the dialogue on the television. Sometime in their slumber Axel had shifted around was lying on his side, arms tightly holding the blonde to his chest, blanket covering from the waist down and bear face down on the floor. Their breathing was in sync with each other, soft and peaceful. Riku was hesitant to rouse the redhead but knew the other would be late returning the blonde if he didn't, thus made his way to the end of the couch and shook Axel's shoulder gently. Axel gave a soft groan eyes fluttering open, clouded with sleep to find Roxas' soft sleeping face in front of him. He stiffened with realization at what was going on. Riku placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax lover boy. I won't tell daddy Ansem." Axel looked at Riku with confusion.

"What time is it?" He tried to remain quiet.

"Eight." Axel let of a soft groan and his head fell back down to the arm of the couch. He laid there and examined the others face and let out a sigh. "Just carry him to the car, he will be fine." Axel nodded and once he propped himself up enough and shook off the sleep he scooped up the blond in his arms, who grumbled a bit but never opened his eyes. Riku grabbed Roxas' things and opened the doors for Axel, once downstairs Axel set the blonde into the car and buckled him in. He went around and got in the other side; Roxas groggily opened his eyes, rubbed them, and looked at Axel.

"What's going on?" His speech was a little slurred but he was waking up.

"It's time to go back to the facility."

There was a pause and then a soft, "Oh," from the blonde next to him. There was no choice involved. The ride back to the facility was long; they seemed to be hitting every red light. Axel drove slowly, but still as they both knew they would, Axel's car pulled into the parking lot and they got out from the car. Crossing the parking lot they entered the side door and walked solemnly to Roxas' room where, once open, Roxas immediately plopped down on the love seat breathing the stale air, looking at the white walls. He began working at his bracelet which he handed to Axel, who clicked off the device. Axel set his bear on the table. "Do you have to go now?" Roxas asked softly. Axel gave a nod.

"I can't imagine they would let me spend the entire day with you… Doctor Even might come in though," Roxas made a sour face.

"He's boring." The redhead smiled at him.

"Sorry Roxas." The held each other in their eyes for a moment. The blonde got up from his seat and stood in front of Axel, he stared at him with blue eyes before wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in his chest. Axel returned the hug, hands going to his hair and stroking. There was a knock on the glass. The pair turned to see Doctor Xemnas, who gave them both a hard glare from outside the room. Axel released the other and Xemnas stepped in, looking over the two males.

"It's good to see that you are back, even though you're late."

Axel laughed, "Only by a few minutes Xemnas, that's not so bad." Xemnas shrugged.

"Ansem had that installed today," Xemnas motioned toward the corner of the room. Axel cocked his eyebrow and turned to find a flat screen stationed on the television stand.

"Wow!" Roxas exclaimed.

"Completely missed that." Axel said with a slight chuckle.

"Clearly," Xemnas stated flatly, giving the redhead a warning glare. Roxas turned on the television and clicked buttons until he was flipping through the channels, all of which were preselected educational programming put out by Discovery and National Geographic's. Every time Axel's eyes met with Xemnas' the other man set him a chilling glare. Axel pursed his lips and looked toward Roxas.

"Hey, I have to head out okay."

Roxas looked at him, a bit sad, "You're not going to stay here a while longer?"

"I'm sorry, tomorrow I can though, make sure you change out of those clothes, Ansem will stroke if he sees them." Roxas gave a nod, he looked towards Xemnas, and then shot the redhead a look of longing. He understood that hugs were not acceptable around the other doctor. He waved Axel good bye as the redhead stepped out of the room, Xemnas followed after locking the door.

Axel stood there waiting for Xemnas. He opened his mouth to comment on something pertaining to Xemnas' behavior but was silenced with a growl demanding, "My office, now." Axel obediently followed with the demeanor of a cowering dog. When he came to Xemnas' office he waited silently as the other fumbled with his keys before go in and sitting in one of the chairs. "Why were you late," Xemnas demanded as soon as the door clicked shut, he did not sit, but stood in front of the redheaded doctor.

Axel furrowed his brows, "We got home from the museum and both of us fell asleep on the couch." Axel shrugged, "We would have been later if Riku didn't wake us up."

Xemnas's eyes narrowed, "Did you sleep with him?"

Axel startled at the accusation, he gave the other a confused look, "Xemnas, if this is about that hug than you are way off the mark." The man's expression never faltered, in fact his glare deepened. Axel sighed, "No I never slept with him, if you mean sex, but yes I slept next to him. We fell asleep on the couch," Axel's voice was now agitated and defensive. Xemnas seemed satisfied with that answer. He walked around to the other side of the desk much like a circling wolf.

"I will not cover for you Axel. The next time this happens Ansem will be notified. What ever relationship you have with the subject, friendship or stronger, nullify it. We cannot have you screwing the data."

"Don't you think he needs a friend?" Axel asked, his voice was softer, expression sad. "I want to be his friend. It's different for me Xemnas, you know that."

"And that's precisely the reason you need to gain distance. Don't make me alert Ansem to this situation. I figured we could end this now, just us knowing." Axel nodded. "Good, I'll keep an eye on you two." Axel glared at the other as he abruptly stood to leave. Biting his lip he stopped as if to say something but choked on his words. He reached into his pocket and put the pamphlet out on the desk.

"We have bigger problems than a friendship between Roxas and I. Keep it, I have a few extras." Axel said as he quickly left the room. Xemnas perked a brow and leaned forward to pick up the pamphlet, eyes widening at what he read.

҉

"I'm going to kill him," Axel roared as he slammed his fists onto the counter. Riku startled at the sound and quickly came around the counter. Since Axel had come in the night Riku could feel the anger radiating from the other male. The air was tense and until now Axel had refused to talk, absorbed into his own head. Riku put a hand on his shoulder when he reached the other.

"Calm down Axel, what's wrong? Did something happen to Roxas?"

"It's Xemnas," He growled, "He saw Roxas and I hugging and then accused me of fucking him." Riku's eyebrows rose. He could feel Axel's stare burning into him. "He told me to get distance from the blonde, that we were getting to close and he didn't want me to, 'screw' the data."

"Nice play on words," Riku snorted.

"It's not funny Riku," Axel growled, "He threatened to report it to Ansem. I don't want to be taken off of the project. What do I do?"

"Tell them to shove it, you're twenty one, stop letting them treat you like a child." Axel winced. "Make some of your own choices for once. Do you want to stop being friends with Roxas? If you don't then ignore them." Axel was picking at the skin of his lower lip with his teeth, he nodded. "And stop being so fucking submissive, it pisses me off. You don't act that way with me, so grow a pair and stop letting them micro manage your life. You have to break away Axel, that way Roxas can too at some point."

"As long as Roxas is there I can't leave." His voice was hollow.

"Then don't, but decide Axel."

The redhead gave him a desperate look, "In the park today, there were activist rallying against Roxas' project. They called me a demon and him the antichrist."

Riku glared, "Those ignorant bastards… figures something like this would happen."

"But that's not the worst of it Riku... They have pictures of him. They pretty much said that they wanted to kill him. And they recognized me."

The silver haired man put a hand on his shoulder. "Does Ansem know?"

"Not yet." Axel stated. "Xemnas does, so Ansem will soon."

"They will take care of it Axel," The silver haired man pulled him into a hug. "Try not to worry about it." Axel let himself be comforted; he was small for the first time in years.

҉

Ansem leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers through this tangled beard. The room was dark save the desk light which illuminated the room in a yellow hue. Xemnas was positioned in the chair on the opposite side of the desk as Ansem, the room was tense. The elder Doctor laid the pamphlet down and let out a sigh. "This does prove to be troublesome. Have you looked at the website?"

"Yes, it has information about all of us, including Roxas, it states his residence here and has a map of the facility." The elder doctor rubbed his temples. "It doesn't say much, but, it has almost everything about Axel down to his morning routine and residence. It even has stuff on Riku, Ansem." The elder doctor's eyes widened.

The shock turned to rage and the other, trying to remain calm, ground his teeth and snarled, "They would do well to stay away from my son."

"It's a low blow I'll admit. It concerns me. I didn't tell you, Axel had asked me not to, but he disclosed to me some time ago that there were people who he though broke into the shop. I think he is being stalked. Though he never really called it that according to my memory…"

"He isn't the most observant, it would take some time for him to realize something was amiss," the doctor said rolling his eyes. "Has he contacted the police?"

"I do not believe so."

The elder male groaned. "This mess wouldn't have occurred if Roxas would have stayed in his room and not revealed himself at the presentation."

"At least not at this magnitude. I suggest we increase security."

"Of course we will increase security. And we will have them take down and investigate the organization as well. It is illegal to provide one's residence with hopes that someone will harm said person. Both of them are in danger…"

"There is not much to do now. I can get on it right in the morning."

"No, no, you focus on Xehnort's project. I will handle this. It is my job to ensue the safety of my employees." The other gave a swift nod. Ansem took a moment and then let out a sigh. "Now about Axel." He paused. "You think that he is becoming to close with our Roxas?" The Doctor glanced at the other for a brief moment for the answer.

"Yes, I have been suspecting this for a while now, but I saw them hugging earlier. I would have written it off but it wasn't a normal friendly hug."

"Ah, so more like a lover's embrace… interesting." Ansem chuckled.

"Ansem?"

"I too have been keeping an eye on the pair; it's interesting how they have become close, but not surprising. Leave it Xemnas. For now at least. If you think about it they both provide useful ways two keep each other on task and in line, especially with this new interruption. Axel will be very concerned for Roxas and his safety..."

"What do you mean?" Xemnas furrowed his brow.

"Axel will keep coming back as long as Roxas is here, and keep doing his work so he can spend more time with him. As for Roxas, Axel is like a special reward, if Roxas succeeds in his classes and school work then he is allowed to see Axel, if not, then he has to spend the night in solitude. That is the pattern we are maintaining, correct?" Xemnas looked at him curiously for a moment, and then eyes widened. "Why else would I allow that little 'Guidance' period Axel suggest? Simply to allow them to become close."

"So… you planned that?" Xemnas gave him a confused look.

"Precisely. Don't get me wrong doctor, I don't mean it an any cruel way, I simply wanted a way to keep them both in line, why not use the resources we have, use them against each other, if you will. Now, in addition to what you brought up, I will not allow any sexual activity to commence between them, thus if their relationship begins to turn in that direction we will have to take repercussions to correct it. If the doctors of this facility are friends with their subjects the people will find it nice, cute even. They will praise us for our kindness and ethics, but if a doctor has sexual relations with a subject, we will have a scandal on our hands. I can very well see them turning it into some cover story about us creating perfect sex toy rather than a ground breaking stand of perfect DNA. It all has to do with the public eye Xemnas, understand?"

The other nodded, "Yes Ansem."


	10. Chapter 10

**Enjoy guys, the next update will be awhile so read this slowly. I say that because I have chapter 11 written but I like to have about three chapters written past the one I update… so I need to restock my chapter supply so I can guarantee quality updates… Yeah I have no life…**

_The world was no different than when I left it, still in that odd state. Here I was again, on my knees slumped, exhausted. It stank here, it was sour. The sun was beating down on my face, warmer than ever before. The smell churned my stomach like butter. I could hardly see. The yellow bird by my side. Hot. Hot. Hot. And I jolted forward. _

It was quick, but from his eyes it appeared in slow motion. Roxas woke in a sweat, head pounding, eyes dizzy. His stomach was nauseated and twisting, lurching, mouth watering. He was hot all over, sweat running off his brow and trickling down the back of his neck. He panted. Grasping the sheets, his stomach lurched again, it was painful and his mouth began to drip with saliva. He felt weak, he was shaking and in a moment his stomach lurched, its contents spilled onto the floor as he heaved himself to hang over the side of the bed. Three more times he fought with his stomach, before he wearily passed out, falling head first over the edge and lying in it. The blue screen was silent; it simply watched the other, pondering what to do. Its cameras were patiently stationed on Roxas as always, the whole room in view for the security on the other end. All it could do was wait for the night crew to notice something was amiss, it took till three A.M.

"_Ro…xa…asssss… Rox…aaa…ssssss..." The world was alive. I could feel hands on me, lifting and carrying me across the field to the lake. Across the field to the lake. And laid me there on the bank. It was still alive with the bubbles of rotting men. The fish were there. The fish! And they tried their best to cool me, I was mad with heat; burning, but the water against my head soothed me. It cooled me, chilling to the bone. And I could breathe… _

His breathing labored, vomit and sweat clinging to his skin. One of the nurses contacted Doctor Ansem on her cell phone and alerted him to the condition of his subject. He was set in a cool bath. One nurse held him up. The other washed him delicately with a washcloth repeating to him over and over, "It's okay Roxas. You're going to be okay." He kept slipping in and out of consciousness, eyes open, then slipping shut again and again. "It's okay Roxas. You're going to be okay." The fish chanted over and over, Roxas gave them a groggy smile, staring into nurse Aqua's blue eyes. "Hold on Roxas," Her mouth moved but all he could hear were the many voices of the fish. They were new to this world, he had never seen them near the lake, or anywhere in the fields, but here they were. "You're going to be okay," the fish repeated. Roxas nodded before he collapsed in the arms of Aerith. The figure of a yellow, bearded man loomed in the doorway.

҉

It was one of those mornings. The phone rang around three thirty with an alarming call from Ansem. Roxas was sick. In the long run the arrival of Axel at the facility would do nothing for the recovery of the blonde but Axel still jumped in the shower and pull on clothes from the floor. He rushed his morning routine before going outside and getting into his car, speeding past the parked one along the curb, and getting to the facility. The walk to Roxas' room was the longest walk of his life, he felt as if his legs couldn't move fast enough. When he finally reached the door he entered and went back to the blonde's bedroom, opening it slowly and coming in. The floor was freshly mopped, smelling of sterile bleach, and nurse Aqua was making the bed. There was an IV drip ready to hook up; the blonde was still in the bathroom. Ansem came from the bathroom doorway upon hearing the bedroom door open.

"What's wrong Ansem?"

The man was stone faced and calm, "The flu. Doctor Michaels came in earlier; Aerith has him in the tub again to bring down his fever." He gave a smile and patted Axel's shoulder, leading him from the bathroom door. "He will be fine." The elder reassured

"What's with the IV drip then?" Axel raised an eyebrow.

"Replenish his fluids. He is sick, he needs to be hydrated and we have to keep an eye on him. It's just the flu but he still has the immune system of a child. He hasn't been exposed this before, he probably caught it yesterday." Ansem shrugged, "It was bound to happen sooner or later." Axel nodded he understood perfectly well. "He will be happy to see you when he gets a bit better." The nurses had dressed him and Aerith carried him out, Axel quickly went over and peeled back the blankets on the bed for her. She smiled and laid the blonde in the bed and tucked him in. She then began her ministrations to set up the IV and took his arm cleaning it with iodine and put the needle in, taping it down. "I am heading out now," Ansem said, approaching Axel and catching his attention with a gentle hand on his arm. "Feel free to stay with him Axel, he needs looking after," The redhead turned towards the other nodding thoughtfully. The elder male gave one last look at the motionless figure in the bed and then left the room. There was work to be done.

"Do you want to stay? Or should one of us stay?" Axel looked to Aerith, thinking a moment before turning back to the blonde.

"No, I can stay. It's fine for now. I'll contact you when he wakes up. He will probably need some medicine." She gave a nod.

"Just call me if you need anything, there are extra pillows and blankets in the cabinet."

"You make it sound as if I'll be taking a nap." The redhead said amused, lips curing into a smile, "The only thing I need is the file about our new project and the stack of documents from Xemnas' desk. They should be under the file. It's in a folder labeled… B I believe. My laptop should also be up there." Aerith nodded, turned, and left; the other nurses already gone. She shut the door quietly behind her. Axel went over to the blonde's bed and brushed his hair off of his face lightly, giving the other a soft smile. He took it upon himself to straighten up the room a bit before Aerith arrived back and handed him off the appropriate files and his laptop. He stood to greet her and then returned to his place against the wall picking up the folder and opening it to look through the files. Xemnas had helped coordinate the beginning of the project based on some of the plans Axel helped write up. He had no doubt that the project was running smoothly, Xemnas was a more then capable man. Axel let out a sigh from disinterest and set the folder down. He pulled the laptop case onto his lap, unzipped it and opened it. After opening, logging on, and looking through his email just in case he had received anything he exited out and sigh again. Roxas was lying with his back to the redhead; he gave off of groans every now and then, which were often accompanied by some sort of movement. He watched for only a moment before moving his hand to his pants pocket and pulling out the pamphlet from the day prior. The phrase, 'Staying true to the will of God,' was printed across the front with a picture of the white hilltop facility printed in grey with a line through it. He opened up the pamphlet and looked through the information. Inside was a larger picture of the blonde. Axel chewed at his lip and glanced up at the other. He briefly skimmed the text explaining why god forbids humans to make life like Roxas, and proving to the simple minded why he was the antichrist. The remainder of the pamphlet explained the unjustness of the facility and what it does, everything from abortion to karyomapping, and aiding those who cannot produce children on their own. Axel winced at the clarity of the pamphlet, there was a great deal of time and research put into it. He turned to the back. 'For those righteous enough to make a difference.' There was a web address printed in bold under another paragraph of preaching and ranting. Axel furrowed his brows and pulled the laptop up farther on his lap, typing in the address and being brought to a site decorated with the glowing images of Jesus Christ. There was a black box with white text labeled, 'Our mission.' He read on. 'It is our mission to eliminate the unjust doings of the government and corrupted corporate world to protect the innocent from harm. We have a number of missions, the newest being the elimination of the projects orchestrated by the International Facility for Genetic Research and Experimentation (IFGRE). They have in their possession a creation made against god's will deemed the 'perfect' human. Created from multiple strands of DNA, he goes against both god and nature in his ability to retain information like a super computer. Their plan is to integrate his DNA into the normal population by selling his DNA and make the global population their idea of perfection. This must be stopped before it is too late...' Axel furrowed his brow. Their information was off the mark. There was never a plan to integrate Roxas' DNA into the population… or was there? The redhead looked at the other tabs, one in particular titled, 'Targets.' He could have laughed at the extremity of the website, but instead paled at his name, and clicked the link pulling up a profile. There was a picture of him standing on the stage of the auditorium, face donning a look of mild annoyance, then a list of information.

_Axel, Last Name Unknown._

_Title: Geneticist_

_College Attended: Unknown_

_Age: 21_

_Hair color: Red_

_Eye color: Green_

_Place of residence: 56 Crystal Plaza (Apartment located above the establishment Tea Shop_)

Axel felt the bile in his stomach rise as he scrolled down the page and took in what looked to be a rough sketch of the layout of his apartment, labeling his bedroom and times when he was home. It then stated his roommate's name and information, informing the viewers that he was Ansem's son.

_Location at current moment:_

Axel abruptly stood, knocking the laptop back off his lap. He was pressed against the wall, breathing frantically as he stared down at the computer screen viewing the city map that shown a red blinking dot on the location of the facility. Roxas let out another pained noise, the fever was waking him. Axel gave the other a worried look and then took a deep breath, trying to collect himself. He looked around nervously and then got back onto the floor and grabbed the computer and pulled it towards him. He stared at the map for a moment, a chill going up his spine then slammed the screen shut. Axel quickly stood and went out the door, closing it so he didn't wake the blonde. He then retrieved his phone and dialed Ansem's number. It rang a few times and Ansem picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Ansem, I have a problem."

"Is it Roxas? Do I need to send someone down?"

"No, no!" Axel reassured, "although that might have been a problem easier to solve. Yesterday in central park I saw-"

"I know Axel."

"You do?" the words felt like weight lifting. He about collapsed back, supported by the wall he let his head lean against it.

"Xemnas told me about it, I'm so sorry." Axel closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and nodded to himself. "Axel?"

"Yeah I'm here." He answered softly.

"I'll call Aerith, why don't you come up; I'll meet you in my office."

"Yeah, alright." Axel shut the phone. He opened the door to Roxas' room gently and then stepped inside, collecting his things and putting the laptop back into its case. He gave the blonde one last look before exiting the room and taking the elevator to the third floor where he proceeded to Ansem's office. The door was cracked open so he let himself in, taking a seat in the comfortable leather chairs positioned across from Ansem's larger chair at the desk. He waited a few minutes before the elder doctor came in, gave him a weary smile and shut the door, taking a seat.

"Sorry I kept you waiting. I was on the phone. Have you seen it?"

"Seen what?"

"Their web site Axel."

The other turned his head down for a moment and gave a nod. "That's why I called, in all honesty."

"Yes I see, so you know that they have been watching you?" the redhead nodded. "Why didn't you tell me you had people snooping outside your house?" Axel looked up at him shocked, "Don't deny it Axel, Xemnas informed me last night."

"I didn't want you to worry and had no idea it was this extreme…"

"Well I called the head of police; they assured me that the website would be taken down immediately and that they can investigate who is operating that organization and charge them for criminal harassment." Axel shrugged.

"Won't it just piss them off? I don't want them hurting Roxas, what if one of those psychos come in with… I don't know… a gun and tries to shoot him?"

Ansem gave the other a weary look. He came from his spot across from Axel and sat beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Don't think about it Axel. Roxas is safe here. We have taken precautions with just that in mind. No one will get past the guards, only people with IDs and people escorted by a doctor can come back to these offices now." Axel nodded again, he looked weak. "And as for you, I called for someone to install a security system in the shop and your house."

Axel furrowed his brows, "When are they doing that?"

"Sometime today."

"Well Riku doesn't know about how in depth this issue is," The elder man bit his lip. "He will be furious. I need to go talk to him, explain the situation."

"I…I think that is a wise choice, he tends to be headstrong, I doubt he will let them in otherwise."

"Should I leave now?"

"No, it's only four," The redhead flushed.

"My mistake," he chuckled.

"Head over around eight."

"What do I do until then?"

"Well if you don't mind, I would like to talk to you for a little longer." Axel gave a nod and relaxed back into his chair. "I want you to tell me every time something strange happens. Any little noise that is off, any suspicious character, tell me about them when it happens so I can report it, or have Riku report it to the police, but he will have to clarify that it pertains to the case dealing with our facility."

"Alright," Axel sighed

"Has Riku noticed anything?"

"No, I think he feels uncomfortable sometimes, but if I blow it off he tends to blow it off too." The elder Doctor rolled his eyes.

"He should stick to his instincts." He redhead chuckled.

"Sorry." The Doctor smiled at him. They took a few moments to process the information. "So, what does this mean for the Noble Prize?"

Ansem cocked a brow at him, "What do you mean?"

"Are we still going to receive it, wouldn't it be dangerous when there is such a larger group of people conspiring against us? That would be a prime target, plane issues."

Ansem chuckled, "You are truly dulling your mind watching those sketchy horror films. Yes we will still be flying out for the Noble Prize and it will be a safe trip, this will all be blown over by then. Don't worry yourself with that Axel." The redhead gave a short nod and weary smile.

"So are there any other security changes?"

Ansem leaned back and pondered this. "No not really, Roxas will undergo some stricter rules. You know, the usual escorting from class, his free times will be supervised, and he needs to be in his room with the lights out by nine… that's really it, just to make sure he is safe and not out in the open alone, not really much change at all, I doubt he will notice the difference."

How long would it be before the he awoke? His breathing was soft, he was asleep.

҉

Axel left the facility around five and quietly climbed the stairs and got into bed. It took a while to silence the thoughts that kept racing through his mind. When he was able to relax them he was able to closes his eyes. Minutes, that's what it felt like, but the clock said hours. Axel climbed out of bed at roughly nine and took a cold shower before getting on suitable clothing. He found Riku downstairs in the kitchen mixing together flour and sugar for cookies.

"What happened?" Riku asked. His back was turned to the redhead.

"Roxas got the flu. He was vomiting his guts out this morning. I'm going to go back later to watch him, make sure he doesn't die." The redhead gave a weary chuckle.

"I'm shocked." Riku stated, he turned and brought his bowl to the other counter to mix in a few more ingredients, he was smiling. "I would have guessed you'd be there now."

Axel returned the smile, "Yeah, I know right? Trust me as soon as I get back I fully intend to go right in and watching him all night." Riku snorted at that.

"Sounds a bit creepy to me, but if that does it for you then great." He was kneading the dough.

The redhead rolled his eyes. "I'm actually here to discuss something important."

"Wow you're really full of surprises today, aren't you?" Riku was in a good mood.

"Ansem called someone to install a security system in the shop and upstairs." The other furrowed his brow, mood ruined.

"Why the hell would he do that? We are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves, tell him no. I don't need him, or anything he has to give."

Axel sent him a weary smile. "We both knew you would say that."

"Well if he knows me so well tell him to shove it and stop pissing me off."

"Riku they are stalking me."

"What?"Riku stopped what he was doing.

"Remember the people I told you about in the park?" the silver man gave a nod, "Well they have a whole profile of me on their web site. I'm labeled as a target. They probably think I am working with the devil."

Riku snorted at that, "You are."

"Not funny Riku," Axel rolled his eyes. "Look, this is serious. They have stuff on you too, it stated that you are Ansem's son," Riku sobered, "They know everything down to my routine and… and where I am… so I don't know if I'm being stalked and they update it constantly or-"

"Oh shit you could have one of those little tracking bugs, you know those metal fuckers who crawl up your nose while you sleep." Axel raised an eyebrow at that. Riku shrugged, "It was on some television show Sora left on… don't ask…"

"…Well I hope it's not creepy robot bugs but…. You never know." Axel paused; Riku had begun to work again. "I was just warning you. I kind of would like the security system put in… It would make me much more comfortable."

"Whatever Axel." Riku griped, "I get it."

Axel rolled his eyes, "Yeah whatever to you too dickhead." Riku laughed at the name and Axel exited. He had to go back and check on Roxas.

҉

_It was hot, and I had to hold myself up with my arms. The fish had returned to the middle of the pond, swimming there. The bodies were still piling up on the banks. I wasn't alone this time. I could feel someone watching the scene too. It was the redheaded man. He didn't speak this time. And we watched the bodies. I knew he was worried, I didn't have to look at him to tell. I wanted to uproot myself from this spot, pull my legs from the ground and walk to the tree and cling there. I wanted to, but I had to stay here, I had to stay. The golden grasses of the fields seem like a story, a memory, a place I had dreamt. Where was the quiet quaint world I once knew? Where was simplicity and peace? I closed my eyes and let myself drift. _

Roxas' eyes fluttered opened. He didn't say anything; He felt weak and could hardly move. Axel who had been flipping through a few medical textbooks, positioned against the wall under the blue screen startled when he saw Roxas looking at him. Axel immediately dog-eared his page and stood, coming over to his bedside. "Are you feeling better?" Roxas responded with a shake of his head, 'no'. The redhead pursed his lips, bringing a hand up to brush the hair away from his forehead.

"What's going on?" his voice was hardly audible. "I feel like I can't move. I'm freezing, yet am so warm."

Axel gave him a smile, "You have the flu. Don't worry, its common, and in a few days you will be better." The blonde nodded.

"A virus… I read about it in one of my textbooks…"

"Sadly yes, and your immune system still-… "

"It's weak because I haven't been exposed like other people. I also didn't receive antibodies from my mother like infants do, so I pretty much better get use to colds until my immune system builds up."

Axel paused, "Yes," he stated dumbfounded.

Roxas sighed, "I feel terrible."

Axel shot him a weak smile, "You will, I think you slept through the start, Aerith told me that you vomited everywhere and then fell in it the first night." Roxas wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Hey, don't worry, one time I had the flu I threw up right on Doctor Xemnas." Roxas smiled, "He was really mad."

"I can imagine, that's really gross."

"Yeah, then he got sick too so he was even more mad."

Roxas' eyes widened. "He got sick? How?"

"Well I puked on him, so the pathogens got into his system."

Roxas sat up quickly, "You have to go," His face drained of color with the rapid movement, "You will… get sick." He said slowly.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Axel quickly grabbed the other, laying him back slowly, "Stop that! Just lay here! You are too sick to be moving around." Roxas gave him a distressed look. "I don't need you passing out on my watch. Besides, don't worry about me, I'm healthy, I won't catch that." Roxas bit his lip and nodded.

"How long have you been here?" Roxas was staring at the ceiling.

"Eh," the redhead thought about it, "I have only been here for an hour, it's about noon."

Roxas perked an eyebrow at that, "How long have I been asleep."

"Well you haven't really been asleep. You probably don't remember it but you have woken up many times. You puked three more times, but not on my watch. It's Tuesday, by the way. In fact I wasn't here at all Monday; I was needed in the lab…" Axel shrugged.

"Wow…" Roxas looked at the other. The blonde was pale and skinnier than normal; his skin was stretched over his cheeks giving him a more 'deathly ill' appearance than what was reality. "What am I suppose to do?" Roxas complained. Axel gave him a confused look. "I've missed class, and I've been awake for a few moments and am already bored stiff."

"I don't know? Sleep I guess." Axel shrugged and sent the other an apologetic smile, "It seems dull but I lay money you can't walk, you're as white as a ghost. You have to stay here."

Roxas sighed and stared up at the ceiling. After a few moments of silence he addressed the redhead again. "Will you take me out there to watch the television? I can't sleep, I feel tired, but my mind isn't." The redhead gave him a stern look. "I promise I would move I'll just lay there and watch television."

"… I guess so." Axel sighed, "I'm bored too so let me just call Aerith in to help move you, okay? You also need to eat." Roxas nodded as the other pulled out his phone and dialed Aerith's number. "Hey, Aerith, Roxas wants us to move him to the couch to watch TV… I agree but he says he can't sleep… I will make sure he doesn't walk around." The redhead sighed, "I know…yeah I understand. Hey, look I'm a doctor too. I know- well age doesn't matter I know just as much as-… fine Aerith. Yeah, we will be waiting."

Roxas furrowed his brow at the one sided conversation, Axel clicked the phone shut. "What was that all about?"

"She lectured me," Axel sighed, "She wants you to stay in bed but said okay and that it was my fault if you got worse." Roxas laughed, "She also said she wanted you to try to eat and use the bathroom before we move you and she will decide from there if you can have your IV out."

"IV?" Roxas questioned.

"…Yeah, the thing beside your bed. It connects via needle to your arm. It's just fluids, you had an immensely high fever and with the amount of vomiting, you needed it," Axel walked back to his bed and laid a hand on his forehead, "You still have a pretty high fever, it's probably time for another round of medicine…" Roxas bit his lip and lifted his arm to look at the needle. Until now he hadn't even noticed it, but now that he knew it was there his arm arched and felt uncomfortable. Axel gave him a curious look and noticed the conflict. "Roxas," He said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder, "its fine… you need it. Just don't look at it, okay?" Roxas nodded his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Aerith had arrived, Axel helped her with the door as she pushed in a cart of food. She left it to the side and immediately went over to Roxas.

"How are you doing sweetie?" she said in a mothering voice, gauging his temperature and commenting to herself on the result. "Any pain or nausea?"She asked. Roxas shook his head 'no'. "Are you hungry?"

Roxas thought about it, as a matter of fact he really hadn't noticed his stomach, his attention had been taken by the overall ill feeling. "A little I guess…" he was still focused on keeping his eyes off of the IV sticking uncomfortably in his forearm. "Aerith, can… can you remove this." He gestured to his arm. She gave him sad look, and then checked the bags. The bag was just about empty, and he was awake, fever was down significantly and he hadn't thrown up since the morning. Aerith had only administered the drip due to Doctor Michael's and saw no real need for it any longer. She nodded and began to take out the IV. Roxas' face paled and he looked away, eyes finding Axel's who gave him a soft understanding smile. Once she finished she gave a sigh, and took the equipment by the door.

"Axel, help him sit up please," she asked politely and Axel went over, supporting the blonde's back as he slowly lifted himself up from the mattress. Axel helped orient him so that he sat sideways on his bed, legs cross and back leaning against the wall. Aerith had pulled the cart over; there was chicken broth, water, saltine crackers, and a few pills. She worked on unfolding a wing on the side of the cart that she was able to put up to the blonde like a table. "You don't have to eat it all, but try a few bites at least." Roxas nodded and slid the bowl over to him, picking up the spoon and carefully bringing some to his mouth. His arms were heavy, he felt as if they would slide off his shoulders if left suspended in the air for too long. He ate silently, apatite fading and six bites later; he could no longer force any in his mouth without the threat of vomiting.

"You alright Roxas?" Axel asked coming to his side. Roxas simply shook his head; his face was stark white, stomach churning. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Axel asked, Roxas nodded pushing the cart away. He tried to get up, collapsing in Axel's arms. The redhead supported him and as they made it to the bathroom, the blonde broke away, grasping at the toilet and emptied the contents of his stomach into the porcelain bowl. After he finished Axel helped him to the sink where he washed his hands and brushed his teeth. Sighing and looking in the mirror.

"Thanks Axel."

Axel simply shrugged, "No problem." He helped him back to the bed; the blonde climbed in and sighed.

"So I guess I won't be allowed out to watch television then after all?" Axel looked towards Aerith who had a stern look, clearly telling Axel no. The redhead bit his lip.

"Come on Aerith, we're both bored in here." She threw her hands up in frustration

"Fine, but I don't want to hear it when you both are sick." She left the room, Axel laughed at her antics, she loved them both dearly.

Axel then went into the bathroom and grabbed some spare blankets, telling the other to 'wait here'. He laid them out on the loveseat, creating a little bed and then went back inside to get Roxas. "Here Blondie," he said, stopping him before Roxas stood, "It will be faster if I just carried you, grab your pillow." Roxas gave him a confused look but obediently grabbed hold of his pillow. Axel bent down and lifted him into his arms, carefully carrying him out and to the living area where he gently deposited him on the loveseat. Roxas shifted around and got himself comfortable, giving Axel a thankful smile. The redhead handed him the remote, which Roxas turned over a few times in his hands before finding the power button and turning on the device. The voice from the television buzzed in his ears, it was an animal documentary with a man narrating the actions of chimpanzees and their interactions as a family unit. Axel watched the blonde, he was staring curiously at the screen, sure he had seen a television just the other day, but Axel was certain that it was the foreign animals it depicted this time that really go his attention.

"I saw these before," He mumbled, Axel quirked a brow.

"In you textbooks?" Axel asked. Roxas nodded.

"Yeah, page 196 in the history textbook, and all through the biology textbook." Axel nodded sagely. He enjoyed when the blonde could become completely engaged in his activities, although he didn't want him to turn into a couch potato. The redhead figured that Ansem or Xemnas had hand selected the programming; Roxas probably would only ever see educational programming pertaining to earth science, the universe, or animals. Axel was quite confident that anything with images of people and daily life would be banned from the screen to keep him from desiring the outside world more than he already did. "What's your favorite animal?" Roxas asked, he peeled his eyes from the screen and awaited the answer patiently.

"Uh," the redhead scratched his head, "To be honest I don't know…" Roxas furrowed his brow.

"Why not?"

"I guess I've never had a pet," He shrugged, "Only really ever seen them in books. I mean I've always liked the look of cats… Tigers are probably the most interesting, but as for animals I haven't ever seen them in real life… save birds and what I've seen passing pet shops and people walking their dogs," Axel trailed off, mumbling the last few words.

"Pet shop?" Roxas' eyes lit up. "Like a place where you can buy animals?" Roxas bit his lip eagerly; he quickly crawled over to the redhead and stared Axel down, "Take me."

It took a moment for Axel to register what was going on. He gave the blonde an uncomfortable look; bringing his hand to the other's shoulder to push him back down onto the seat. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why not," the blonde whined.

"Well Ansem would shoot me if you came home with some little furry thing."

"What if you came home with one?"

"Riku would beat me…or worse," the redhead deadpanned. The blonde frowned, sighing and looking back towards the television. Roxas had his arms folded, disappointment clear on his face. He was guilt tripping Axel, but was interrupted as he let out a large sneeze, jolting forward. Axel smiled leaning over to pat his back as the other looked at him wide eyed.

"Wow."

"First sneeze?" Axel chided, the blonde simply nodded. "How'd it feel?"

"A bit painful, but my head feels better." Axel laughed.

"Yeah you'll have that." He sat back in the loveseat, eyes removed from the other. Roxas directed his attention towards the television as well, delighted by the sight of the furry animals jumping around. He then looked towards Axel, the man's attention was elsewhere, his green eyes focused, fingers tapping the arm of the chair. Roxas wondered where the redhead's mind was wondering off to. Axel looked at the blonde and raised an eyebrow at him; the action caused a light flush to rise to the blonde's cheeks, he averted his eyes. "Like what you see?" Axel teased. Roxas wasn't sure how to answer, was it suppose to be literal or a joke? He didn't want to seem awkward so simply gave a nod. Axel laughed at that reaching over and putting an arm around the blonde and pulling him gently to a hug. "It was a joke Roxas."

The blonde bit his lip, "Yeah, I wasn't sure," he shrugged.

"I know." The redhead shot him a wolf-like grin which was met with a giggle as Roxas softly wrapped his arms around the other and laid his head against the taller male's chest. Axel was alarmed by the action, not that he disliked it, but out of fear that Xemnas would walk in. What the silver haired man had said the pervious Sunday had never gotten the chance to leave Axel's mind. It had simply been pushed aside by other worries but now surface clearly. Axel sighed, gave the other a smile and prompted him to release. "You need to lay back, I don't want you moving." Axel stated which was the truth, but more of an excuse. Roxas obediently sat back.

҉

Xemnas let out a groan, bringing a hand to his brow in frustration. He had been working on the prototype for awhile now. Axel had suggested making a replica of the gestational tank's computer keep the organs alive. His notes were there, changes had been made and about twenty pairs of eyes looked it over. The donor had arrived that morning and was in Roxas' old room, hooked up to an IV and tucked into a bed. It disturbed the silver haired doctor; he looked like a sick, thirty year old man, a patient in a hospital bed soundly asleep. Xemnas pushed the image from his mind; he had to complete this for the safety of his own project. It was more programming than anything. The computer parts had been ordered and put together, it was a bit larger than a normal house hold computer. It acted like a brain and attached to a machine which was about the size of a dining room table. It housed all the necessary pumps and filters, in addition to tanks containing the chemical compound that mimicked blood. That would mix with nutrients and become oxidized, exiting through the right side of the machine, looping out to the organs and back in with unoxidized blood. It was how Roxas had been kept alive, but the matter wasn't could they do it, but how many could they keep alive at once from one machine? One machine alone was expensive to produce and maintain but if there was a need for more than one it would definably hurt the facilities finances. Xemnas leaned back again and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath he returned his eyes to the screen and began typing. A few members of Xehnort's team, Doctor Siax Eberstak and Doctor Vexen Knowls, were helping assemble the remaining parts of the machine, the latter leaving a few minutes later to fetch the fragile tubing the resembled veins.

"Can I assist you?" The blue haired Doctor approached Xemnas causing the other to glance up from his work briefly. The man was from Germany, his voice still held a faint accent, he was strong jawed and built handsomely with long swooping blue hair that would seem unprofessional to some.

"I'm about done. I will have both Ansem and my college Axel take a look at it, and then we can begin testing." Xemnas went back to typing.

"How many organs Doctor?"

"The whole body, I like to aim high." He deadpanned. The other simply gave a nod.

"We can begin harvesting the donor if you would like and keep the organs on ice."

Xemnas cringed, "No, I would prefer to wait until the machine was completely together. Has your team began to put in the tubing? I want to see the tanks full and machine together by the end of tonight. We can receive organs in the morning." The other male simply shrugged and proceeded to leave, most of the staff had left on break by that point. The Doctor simply stared at the screen face illuminated in the white glow as he scrolled through. With a few finishing touches he could call his job done. It took roughly ten minutes, and the he reclined in his seat. He would wait for as long as he could, he didn't want to be there when the donor was needed. He left the tanks unfilled, amniotic fluid elsewhere. It wasn't his problem. Xemnas stood from his seat and went down the hall walking to the room. He cracked the door open, standing in the doorway and looking over the motionless blonde figure. He was a man of thirty years, short blonde hair. His facial hair trimmed but the stumble was moving in. Of course the Facility had to get their money's worth from him, all his hair would be sold to the highest bidding company and this man would go under the knife. Never once opening his eyes. Eyes, the one organ that could not be completely transplanted. Xemnas wondered what the use for those would be. He never tormented himself with looking into the grotesque proceedings of the Organ Donor business, but he had wondered what their purpose was since he knew blue cornea's were of the most value and the only transplantable part of the eye since retina's required stem cells to grow. He figured that as soon as he was harvested the cornea and bone marrow would be shipped out to some poor desperate man laying in a hospital bed much like this man, only with a wife by his side. The door was shut. He stood in the room.

As for that matter, after all of this work was said and done would the slaughter house Xehnort ran really be over or would it just be at a lesser extent? Bone marrow, stem cells, hair, skin, ovaries, corneas, blood, spinal fluid… all of that and more would be done away with. There would be no more sources for people to use thus medical science would step back and what was recently curable would no longer be so. Was that worth it as well? Xemnas closed his eyes taking a seat in a chair in the corner of the room and holding his breath. Was it worth it? His hand touched his pocket, slipping in and clutching a gold linked necklace. It was a locket and he fought himself, giving in and opening it. He though she was beautiful and for once in a long while his heart ached again. "Why did you have to be so stubborn," he muttered at the piece of jewelry, fingers tracing the picture. His voice was hardly audible; it surly would have cracked if he had spoken any louder. He kept back his tears, standing and proceeding to the side of the bed as he shoved her back into his pocket. He was asleep, he would remain this way for the rest of his life. At least he wasn't leaving anyone behind, nor would he miss anyone on the other side. Xemnas left the room.

҉

"Time is up for today," Ansem said as he entered the room. Axel turned to look at him confused. They were on the couch still, Roxas had drifted asleep despite his claims to be fully awake some four hours ago and Axel had been studying up on the use of stem cells on organ growth. Ansem came to the side gazing at the television which was a documentary series the showed the behavioral patterns of different felines on the African plains. "Has he been asleep long?" Axel simply nodded his answer. "Good. Well you do know what time it is, right?"

"Since you're here I would assume it's late." Axel stated, he was bored and tired; he wanted the elder man to just spit out what he needed to say and call it good.

"Roughly eight thirty, not late but I would like him to get into bed." Axel nodded, standing and going over to the blonde where he gently shook his shoulder to wake him. His response was a groan and Axel scooped him up.

"Grab the blankets please." He said to Ansem who did just that, walking ahead of the pair and opening the door. Axel deposited the boy on the bed. Roxas kept groaning and stretching but never fully woke up. Ansem helped tuck the other in and they left the room together. Once outside Axel stretched and gave a loud yawn. "What did I miss today?"

Ansem rolled his eyes and gave a light chuckle, "What do you mean miss? This project has been going on for… probably a week and I have only seen you in the lab once." The redhead laughed, sending him a smile.

"Awe, do you really blame me? After you gave me that weekend off I haven't been feeling like doing any of that stuff. Besides, I'm better with planning and research, and Xemnas is better at assembling and making constructive changes."

"You think after twenty one years you would be sick of playing second best to him." Axel furrowed his brows at the elder.

"Second best? Wha- What the hell Ansem, you know I'm way smarter than that old man."

Ansem sighed, "I don't know Axel, you really think he would let the student surpass the teacher?" Axel glared at him.

"I know what you're playing at," He pointed and accusing finger at the elder Doctor, " You're trying to light a fire under my ass in hopes that I'll go on a working frenzy and take care of that project up there. Well I'll have you know that it's not going to work, Xemnas and I will move at our own pace, keep you old wrinkly nose out of our work," Axel folded his arms, giving the elder a playful glare. Ansem was undoubtedly amused with the comeback, smiling widely before sighing. He gave the redhead a firm pat on the shoulder.

"I forget your age sometimes, you really are just a child you know." Axel scowled at the comment opening his mouth to say something but being cut off abruptly by the Doctor. "And for your information Xemnas has left you in the dust. He followed your plans without you and the machine is just about ready. You need to come in early tomorrow and help harvest the organs." Axel gave him a concerned look, but was cut off once more. "Right now you need to take a look up at the program to make sure everything is running smoothly before we continue, you do have a pretty good eye for that system, I will admit that since your arrival I have became rusty with my computer skills," he gave a chuckle.

Axel gave him a light smile. "I want to get out of here, so will you be accompanying me to the lab?" Ansem shook his head 'no' the other simply shrugged.

"I have things I need to do."

"Then I will meet you tomorrow after everything is up and going." The elder gave him a nod. They both left the room, locking the door, lights shutting off. Axel bid him a good night and proceeded into the elevator. He fiddled with the programming in the main computer for an hour before judging Xemnas' work to be flawless. From there he exited and went to his car parked next a few others black in appearance from the night. It had been getting darker later, it was fall, but the air around still smelled like summer. He was dreading the winter like always. Leaving the parking lot he waved at the other car exiting, going home and entering the dark shop. He proceeded up the stairs opening the door and greeting his silver haired room mate who was sitting on the sofa with Sora who was pressed closely to the other male as Sora watched a horror film.

"Hey Axel," Riku said softly from his place.

Axel couldn't hold back the smug grin that was pulling at the corners of his lips, "Uh, hey there Riku, enjoying that movie?" Axel's tone suggested to Riku that any response would instantly bring some smart ass comment or teasing from the redhead so he simply answered with his middle finger making Axel laugh.

҉

_I couldn't stand this place. The lake had changed. The world was dark. The smell of bloated, rotting skin filled my lungs. Where were the fish? The lake had been invaded by the bodies, and I was rooted there, staring at them. I wanted to stand up, I wanted to leave, but the yellow bird made me stay. He watched it too. The water began to move. It began to lurch forward and back, like waves on a beach. As it went back the lake expanded, forward and far back till it grew to an ocean and I was planted in the damp cool sand blue water meeting sky in an endless dance until they became one with each other. It smelled like fish. The waves came back in and with it brought a man. He was face down in the shallows, pushed into me by the wave as if some act of fate. I flipped him over and examined his features. He had a defined hansom jaw and cheeks with a longer nose that spoke of an Italian decent. His hair was long, red, and sopping wet plastered against his face, neck, and shoulders. I simply examined him. There was a chirp from behind and I glanced back at the yellow bird. He chirped again. I looked to the ocean. It was far off, far and slow moving, but there. Black sky met churning green water and sent tidal waves. They weren't reaching use yet, they were far away. I looked down at the man in my arms and pushed his blonde hair back, picking pieces of seaweed from his beard. I stood and grabbed onto his arms and as I pulled him from the water, his skin was rejuvenated. I laid him on the bank to dry in the sun, a man came up behind me, "I have been waiting for you," He stated. I kept my eyes ahead, the yellow bird nearby in a tree. A hand firmly grabbed my leg. I turned, blue eyes met sad eyes. He had gotten to his knees gasping again and again, choking and vomiting water. He managed to hold my eyes with his, gasping, voice loud and rough, "H E L P M E." he tried to repeat it but fell back into the sand, breathing heavily and looking up at me. I couldn't speak. _

Roxas woke in a cold sweat, it was abrupt. He sat strait in the bed, holding his chest and looking around rapidly. He was in his bedroom and wondered when Axel had left. He glanced at the screen who was displaying the time and date clearly. September second, eleven forty P.M. He felt the need to move. He felt the need to go upstairs to his old bedroom. Roxas slowly peeled back the blankets. He knew something would be waiting for him up there. He had to see what was going on. It was an urge that he couldn't fight. He stood on fatigued legs slowly stepping and exiting his room. He came to the door, the glass that kept him in but allowed him to stare out at the dark empty hallway. He tried the door pressing his forehead to the glass with defeat. It was locked. It was always locked. The lights had come on due to his movement and in frustration he gave the glass a hard punch with his fist gritting his teeth and growling. He let himself slide to the floor.

It was in that moment that Xemnas was leaving for the night. He was exiting the elevator when he noticed the light on in Roxas' room; he thanked whatever power made him take the back way out of the facility and went over to inspect, noticing Roxas on the floor in front of the door. He pulled out his keys, unlocking and opened the room; the lack of support startled the Blonde. He stared up at the silver haired doctor who merely gave him a curious look.

"I suspect that you being out of bed at this time means that you are well enough to begin your studies tomorrow, right?" Roxas just continued to stare up at him. Xemnas sighed, "Why are you out of bed, Roxas?" His tone was softer than normal and he extended a hand to help the other up, "Don't tell me you were trying to escape again." Roxas bit his lip, which earned him a glare from the elder.

"It's not really like that but…" He paused and cast a nervous eye at the doctor, "I feel like I need to go up to my old room. Is something up there Doctor?" Xemnas gave him a weary look, a bit surprised in his inquiring.

"It is as empty as it was when you left. Your urge to check it I will admit is strange, I suggest you go back to bed and stop worrying yourself with trivial matters." Roxas looked him over and gave a nod.

"Goodnight Doctor." Xemnas nodded and waited as the other slowly walked back to his bedroom and closed the door, locking it, and left.


	11. Chapter 11

**Look at this, I freak out that I have nothing written and then BAM. I write like a bat out of hell…**

Six A.M. There was something unnatural about this time. The sky was still dark an only a few birds were chirping in the trees. It was chilly in the apartment for once; dew was clinging to the window, or were those rain drops? Axel's alarm clock had gone off; he felt heavy, eyes still closed. He groaned out a few profanities as he ran his fingers through his hair and then slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, eyes slowly looking around the room. He stood and went to the window, cautiously pulling back the curtains and looking down at the dismal and dark street, no unusual automobiles accompanied his. Axel then proceeded to lay out clothing and head to the shower. He was out a while later sitting on the stool of the counter, the television had been turned on to break up the silence of the morning. It was trying to predict a warm day but there was no evidence of that out the window. He herd murmuring from Riku's room, figuring that he had woken up the silver haired man and his brunette companion. It was time to leave anyways, and as to avoid any ill temper Riku might have this morning he clicked off the television and left his home.

He had a bad feeling. The sun had come up, illuminating the world in a soft grey, the sky completely overcast. The facility seemed taller and white, like it was leaning over him as he approached and walked inside. Concealed eyes watched his every move from the parking lot. He signed in at the front desk giving the woman a smile and going to the stairs to the designated lab. There were a few nurses he recognized from their facility as well as Doctor Vexen and Doctor Saix from Xehnort's facility. All were busying themselves with a double check of their machinery. "Where is Doctor Xemnas?" He asked softly coming to inspect their work. Doctor Saix looked him over with a smug expression.

"Doctor Axel I presume?" The redhead nodded. "Isn't it a bit late to be involving yourself with this project?"

Axel raised his eyebrows at the comment, "You wouldn't have anything without me. I am the doctor who wrote the plans for the machine you're touching." The blue haired Doctor remained unphased.

"Doctor Xemnas will not be aiding us in the procedure."

Axel paused at the other doctor's choice of words and then shrugged. "Where are the organs? It is possible to begin," the redhead looked around, immediately scowling. "Where are the tanks?" Axel walked around the room and then looked at the other doctors, "We need a small tank per organ, it needs to be sealed in an aliphatic compound to cushions it and keep it warm. Hasn't anyone looked over my notes?" Axel growled, he hated setbacks in projects. Siax gave him a confused look.

"Doctor Xemnas was the one holding onto the notes." Axel pursed his lips for a moment in thought and then let out a sigh.

"Excuse me for a moment." He turned quickly and exited the lab to the hall, walking around a corner. He then pulled out his cell phone dialing the number of the silver haired doctor.

"Hello?" his voice came over the phone.

"Xemnas," Axel stated firmly, "Where are the tanks? There are none assembled and ready to go. I was dragged out of bed early today, so this project better get moving." The line was silent for a moment.

"There are extra assembled tanks in the storage unit of lab 3. Twenty to be exact, they are heavy so you will need assistance, call a maintenance man or Lexaeus."

"And the fluid? I thought you had some ordered," Axel stated.

"You need to either have a team produce some or fill out an order to take some from a neighboring facility, I didn't order any." Axel groaned, leaning his head back against the wall and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Seriously Xemnas, why didn't you have this ready? The plan was specific, you knew exactly what you were doing it's not any different than any other project."

"I signed a contract when I joined this facility Axel. I came here with the intent to create life, not destroy it. If you are so eager to get the project running use amniotic fluid instead, it will have very little difference, it's just the prototype after all. Besides, you seem so eager to cut into the bastard. I wouldn't want to hold you up any longer."

Axel was taken aback, he stumbled over his words for a moment and then croaked out a weak, "What?"

"Where else would you be getting the organs from Doctor? Think about it, you're smart, start thinking." Axel bit his lip. "There is a donor in the facility, room 345, Roxas' old room. If I hadn't delayed your process you would be carving him up right about now." Axel's face paled.

"No…I can't do that…" He was soft.

"You will if you want to finish the project. You will if you want to keep Ansem happy, why else would I have skipped work. I will not have any part in that procedure. Now if you will excuse me I have patient files to review, and you have a man to kill. I'll be in around noon to help set them up." The phone line went dead. Axel was pale, his mouth was dry and hung open. His brows knitted together, he had been so caught up in Roxas' project that he had completely overlooked that detail… Roxas' project or maybe Roxas himself. He was losing it, losing his professional composure. He swallowed back the lump that had formed in his throat, took a few deep breaths and thought. For Roxas, he had to do this for Roxas. He needed to stay on the team to keep Roxas out of their project; he needed to keep Roxas safe.

"Doctor?" It was a nurse, one of the more unfamiliar ones; he might have seen her a handful of times before but didn't have a name to go with the face. He glanced at her. "Doctor are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you." He nodded.

"We are waiting for you, what will you have us do?" Axel bit his lip thinking for a moment,

"There are spare incubated tanks in the storage unit of lab 3, right now we will just work with the liver, kidneys, and pancreas, more research will have to go into the heart and lungs, as well as other glands… I'll get the synthetic amniotic fluid." She nodded and went off, Axel gave a sigh pushing from the wall and walking. There was always a surplus of the fluid since every time there was fluid needed to put a zygote in a tank it had to be on hand. It was kept in a vacuum sealed machine to keep the contents fresh and sterile. Every lab in the facility had one since most labs were in renovation to turn into make shift fetus nurseries. It was a simple matter of starting the machine and telling it what to do. The tanks had been brought in; Axel demonstrated how to hook them up to the main computer to regulate temperature. The stage was set, it was roughly noon. The redheaded Doctor's skin was crawling.

"We are ready," Doctor Vexen stated. Axel gave a nod and they proceeded to scrub up and enter a sterile lab where the man was waiting, having been wheeled in by a nurse. He looked to be asleep. Axel walked over to him for the first time and looked down at his face; he was exposed on the table. Unaware and Innocent. Axel pulled at the skin of his lips with his teeth. There were no preparations to do, the man was so pumped full of the drug to keep him comatose he would never feel a thing, they simply had to get in and get out. Extract the organs before he died put them one ice and send them to be hooked up. There was a steady beat of the man's heart from a machine to the left. "Are you ready Doctor?" Axel nodded, Saix had been eyeing the redhead curiously and moved in to divide the body up and show where the cuts needed to be made. Axel's stomach was turning; it was from memory, by second nature. He didn't have to perform the procedure himself, he simply had to assist. Axel felt a firm hand on his shoulder. "You get used to it after thirty years. He will never feel a thing. He never lived anyways." Vexen stated calmly as if his words were reassuring. Axel swallowed back his nerves.

"I'm going to make the first incision now," Saix stated, the nurses were checking the stats and everyone was watching. Knife pressing into the man's skin, the first little trickle of blood rolled out, Axel looked to the man's face as it twitched. Adrenaline.

"Stop!" He jumped. The blue haired Doctor looked up at the other, glaring. He put the knife down.

"Would you like to do the honors, Doctor?" Axel was breaking out in a cold sweat.

"This," he swallowed, "We are finished here." He looked to the nurses, "I want him taken back to his room and I want him taken off all drugs." Axel looked directly at the nurse, who startled and then went to make an effort to complete the orders, weary of the other doctors. Siax simply glared across the donor at Axel, he removed his surgical mask.

"And what will you have us do, Doctor?" He sneered, "Do you plan to purchase this man? In case you have forgotten he is alive solely for this purpose and to finish the project. We need a test subject." Axel's throat was dry. He was on edge, heart pounding; the nurse was beginning to move the donor from the room. "Leave him," Doctor Saix growled, she startled and stopped her actions.

"No, remove him." Axel stood a bit straighter, becoming angry as he realized, "You are a guest in our facility, Doctor Saix, might I remind you. If I tell one of the members of the staff to do something, do not contradict it." Axel looked to the confused nurse. "Take him back to the room, and get something to stop the bleeding." She gave a quick nod. Saix was furious.

"The last time I checked Ansem was the head of this facility. Since when does someone like you have power over someone like me? I say we cut your worthless organs out instead." Axel furrowed his brows taken aback at what Saix was implying.

"My life is worth ten of yours." The redhead spat. "Take it up with Ansem, I'm sure he would agree." The blue haired Doctor glared, turning sharply and pushed past to exit the room. Axel let the breath that he was holding go, relaxed, and closed his eyes.

"So, should I take him of the drug, Doctor?" Axel looked over to the nurse.

"Yes. Do you know what he is on?"

"No Doctor, but we will take precautionary measures in the chance something happens to him." Axel gave her a light smile and a nod.

"If you or anyone needs me, I'll be checking up on Roxas," she gave a soft okay and Axel exited, removed his surgical attire and stepped out into the hall. Xemnas was waiting, the sight of the other male made Axel shrink back. "If you are here to yell at me, I don't want to hear it."

Xemnas shrugged, "Ansem will be furious."

"I know." Xemnas put a hand on the redhead's shoulder and gave him what Axel believed was an attempt at a smile.

"I will talk to him." Axel nodded, shrugged the other off and quickly walked down the hallway.

҉

He had been stuck on the couch all day. His temperature was still a bit high, but the nurse assured him that he would be able to continue classes the following day. He had tried to argue that since it was Wednesday there was no point starting classes the next day since he would only continue studies for another day before the weekend would come and he was granted a field trip. Sadly he was corrected that there would be no field trip that weekend in order to let his immune system make a full recovery. Thus he sat there on his last day of freedom and watched the television, dozing off frequently. He was startled awake when he heard the jingle of keys outside his door, turning to see Axel coming into his room. On the trip down Axel had removed his surgical garb in a trashcan and wan now donning the usual white lap coat with a t-shirt underneath. Roxas gave the other a smile, cheeks rosy, but the other's countenance read something other than content.

"Axel?" The blonde gave him a concerned look, which was met with a weak smile as the redhead came over and sat next to the other on the lover seat. "What's wrong?" he asked after a while. Axel gave a shaky sigh and then looked over at the blonde boy.

"Grown up stuff," he teased.

The blonde gave him a glare, "Don't give me that, you came into my room all depressed, now spill it." Axel chuckled at the boy's reaction and put his hands up defensively.

"Alright, alright," he paused, sighing a moment. "I was supposed to start testing out a prototype for a project today, but when I came the time to do it I couldn't."

Roxas raised an eyebrow, "What did you have to do?"

The Doctor gave him a weary look, rubbing his temples for a moment before deciding it was fine to tell the other. "We needed organs and I had to assist in operating to extract them from a donor. I couldn't do it and had him sent back to his room." Roxas eyes widened.

"If you would have done that he would have died! Where did you take him? Is he safe?"

Axel gave the other a nod. "Yeah he is fine. In fact I was going to go check on him."

"Am I allowed to tag along?" The blonde asked hesitantly. The redheaded Doctor pondered the idea for a moment then shook his head, 'no,' a moment later.

"It would probably be best for you not to right now, maybe when he wakes up you can, but I don't want you to see him just yet." The smaller male scowled at the other.

"I'm not a child you know. I might not understand fully but I'm not simple minded…"

Axel sent him and apologetic smile. "I know," he responded softly.

"Then prove it." Axel simply raised an eyebrow at the younger male.

"What?" Axel's send him a bewildered glance and let out a small breathless chuckle. "How?"

"That's for you to figure out Axel, I can't give you all the answers now, can I?" The redhead laughed and Roxas joined in. Instead of speaking Axel simply wrapped his arms around the other in a hug. He rested his cheek against his soft blonde hair. Roxas was a bit surprised at first but then relaxed and smiled putting his arms around Axel rubbing his back lightly. He rested his head against the redhead's shoulder. It felt as if all the tension had been thoroughly wrung from the pair. Roxas wanted the moment to last forever, but knew it couldn't. "Axel?" Roxas asked softly after awhile. The redhead answered with a soft hum, Roxas bit his lip. "You should probably let go of me." Axel paused and then released the other.

"I have class soon; some will be in at any moment." Axel nodded.

"Yeah, good idea." Axel sighed; he sat back in the love seat and stared ahead at the television. Roxas continued to chew his lip, watching the other before doing the same.

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault, you were being smart. Don't be sorry for thinking." Roxas gave a short nod. The door opened behind them and Terra gave them a wave.

"Roxas, get ready."

"Alright," He sent the instructor a smile and then got up from his seat, Terra was unlocking the gym. He went over to Axel and leaned down, trying his best to give him a hug goodbye as the other sat. Axel let out a chuckle and sat forward returning the gesture and bid the blonde a goodbye. He heard his room door close as the other went in to change.

҉

There was a vibration from Axel coat pocket, it was roughly three at that point and Roxas had been in classes for the past two hours. Axel had been occupying his time with planning, notes, and research that was scattered on the coffee table in front of him. He had been fine tuning the kinks in their methods for a while now. Looking over the machine's design and trying to problem solve different ways to make a similar machine for more complex organs, so far all of his ideas were under developed and doomed to fail. Axel gave a sigh upon reading the ID on his phone. Ansem. Axel had been hiding in Roxas' room since the incident that morning in hopes to avoid the man. He knew it was a cowardly act, but he didn't really feel like dealing with the confrontation. Apparently he had no choice now. From the events that had occurred that morning he was quite certain that the conversation would not be one of the more friendly ones. Axel quickly collected his papers, putting them in his briefcase and deciding to reorganize them later, and then he quickly clicked a button on his phone and brought it to his ear.

"Axel," the pointed tone of the elderly doctor barked from the other end of the line. "What happened? I have had Doctor Saix and Doctor Vexen in here ranting at me for hours about this project and your behavior. I have been ordered by the other members sponsoring the project to remove you. Why did you stop them this afternoon? Those organs are vital to beginning this phase of the experiment!"

Axel kept his calm; he had been thinking over and over in his head what he would tell the man when the time came. That didn't mean he wasn't nervous, he simply reminded collected. " Doctor Ansem," he said after a moment to be sure the elder male was finished with his rant. Axel swallowed, leaning back in the seat to help him relax. "I couldn't watch them kill that man."

"That was the man's purpose."

"Whatever the reason, I could not be a part of it. And I could not watch him be killed." Axel paused a moment. "Have they done it already?"

The Doctor on the other end gave a loud and annoyed sigh. "No Axel. They left. We decided to solve all the issues today and then resume tomorrow."

"If it's not too much to ask. Could they bring in a new donor? I can't work on this project knowing the face of the man that was killed for it."

The Doctor again gave another sigh. "Didn't you hear me? They want you off of this project. I don't think they will allow you to stay on, and to be honest I don't blame them." Axel bit his lip at the information.

"I have put in so much time for the research for this, isn't there another way?"

"I'm afraid not. You have got it up and running now you need to forfeit your involvement. I cannot help you this time, Axel." The other nodded.

"Alright."

"As for the donor, they are bringing in a new one since the one upstairs apparently has already woken up. I want him out of here. Take him home tonight; I don't care what the hell happens to him. When he can walk and talk I want him here, we can train him to be a maintenance man or something." The other doctor trailed off. Axel gave a nod.

"I'll get him now."

"Good, I'll find some other line of work for you in the mean time. Be expecting another call." Axel nodded as the line went dead. He gave a haggard sigh as let his head hang back for awhile before sitting back up and looking around the room. He looked at his phone and clicked through the contacts finding Aerith's number and gave her a call.

A soft, "Hello," came over the line.

"Aerith, I need a favor."

"What is it Axel?"

The doctor gave a sigh. "I need to take home the donor upstairs in Roxas' room. Apparently he is awake."

"Yes he is. Aqua was up with him earlier, she took him off of all the machines. She said he is breathing normal, but has been having a difficult time keeping his eyes open." She gave a chuckle. "He reminds me of Roxas." Axel smiled at the comment.

"I was wondering if you could get a wheelchair and help me get him in my car,"

She was silent for a moment, "Sure, just give me a few moments."

"Alright then, I'll meet you up there, bye." She said a soft farewell and the call ended. Axel frowned and looked around the room debating on whether he should call Riku and warn him about the new member of the family, but decided against it and stood grabbing his briefcase and proceeding upstairs to Xemnas' office. The man was huddled over paperwork as always with mountains of books on either side. He never looked up from his work as Axel walked over and set the briefcase on the desk and turned to leave.

"They kicked you off." It was more a statement than anything. He was neither surprised nor upset.

"Yeah."

"It happens, besides, the project wasn't suited for you. It's better this way." Axel gave a slow nod.

"Do me a favor Xemnas." Axel stated.

"What is it?"

"Keep Roxas save. Don't let them involve him." The silver haired Doctor looked up at the other.

"He will be safe Axel." The redhead gave a nod and then left the room. He quickly went down the maze of halls to Roxas' old bedroom. There was a faint beep of the machine as he unlocked and entered, it kept track of the man's heart beat. He was breathing softly, his chest raising and falling steadily. Axel simply examined the man. There was a file at the end of the bed. Axel opened it looking at the contents.

_Donor ID Tag: LX010_

_DNA Donors: Lillian Michaels and Germane Ginalski _

_Date of Independence*: May 7__th__, 2043_

_Blood Type: A negative._

_Corneas: Blue_

_Hair: Blonde_

The door opened before he had the chance to read further. Aerith gave the Doctor a weak smile. "What's it say?" She motioned to the file in his hand. Axel looked down at it, and began to put it away.

"Not much, just basics and anything they need to know to harvest him I guess. According to this he is thirty one." Aerith nodded. She wasted no time and came to the side of the bed and sat the blonde man up, holding his back and supporting him. Axel pulled his thin legs and turned him so that he sat sideways on the bed. His head hung, he was drooling and making little noises much like the grunts of an infant. The man was significantly larger than Roxas had been with skin that looked like canvas stretched tight over a wooden frame. He was comparable to the pictures found in a holocaust museums, it was a wonder the male still had a head of hair. On the count to three they lowered him into the awaiting wheelchair, buckling him to it so he wouldn't fall out. He was heavy due to his height. The man's eyes opened, lazily rolling from person to person, he could barely keep his head up; it hung limply. Aerith adjusted the head rest on the wheelchair and laid his head against it. "Thank you Aerith, if you could tag along and help me get him into the car that would be appreciated." The woman gave a nod and followed alongside Axel as he pushed the wheelchair down the hall and to the closest elevator, it would take him back by Roxas' room and the back exit door. The elevator opened and the trio entered, waited, and were taken down to the first floor. The doors opened. Axel pushed the wheelchair out turning and heading down the hall. They were a few feet from the elevator when the door to the library opened and Roxas could be heard wishing his professor a good afternoon. There was a soft padding of footsteps and a pause.

"Axel?" The steady beat of feet against tile could be head coming up behind the group, with a frantic squeal from the nurse who was undoubtedly Xion. "Hey Axel, what are you doing?"

The redheaded Doctor gave a sigh, and turned to greet the other, caught. "I'm taking this man home," he motioned to the other male in the wheel chair. Roxas gave him a curious expression and peeked around to see who the Doctor was referring to. His eyes widened when he was greeted by an open mouthed blonde man. The male was drooling and his body was lazily slouched in the chair.

Roxas scrunched his face at the other, "Um…" he wasn't sure what to say, "…Well…what's wrong with him?"

"Nothing is wrong with him." Axel said smiling slightly, "He's just… well… it's kind of like… he like a infant." Roxas looked up at him curiously.

"But he…is so big…" Axel nodded.

"Yeah it's kind of like how you were born. Remember when you couldn't walk and talk," Roxas gave a quick nod, "believe it or not, a week before then you kind of looked like this." The other raised an eyebrow at that.

"Really?" The other nodded.

"So in a few days will he be able to talk?" Axel shrugged.

"I'm not sure. His brain isn't like your brain, Roxas. He doesn't have the capacity. It could be days, even years before he can do anything." Roxas furrowed his brows at that.

"Then where are you taking him?"

"Home." Axel stated.

"But why. He can't do anything. Doesn't he have to stay here like me? You said when I'm smart enough I can go." Roxas motioned to the other male, "He is not even close to be ready to go." Axel pursed his lips debating how to explain this to the blonde.

"He is a donor. He isn't like you and he doesn't belong in the facility..." the blonde was chewing incessantly on his lips, arms folded and glare shifting from the other man to Axel. "Ansem bought him. He isn't safe here, and so I need to take him home."

"That's not fair. Why can't I go with you too?" Roxas huffed. "I could come back for classes."

Axel shook his head. "No, you have to stay here. This is your home." Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Will you be in to see me later?" Axel thought about it.

"I might be it depends on how getting this guy home works out. I will probably be late." Roxas looked down and gave a small nod. Axel bit his lip again, looking at Aerith and then Roxas. He placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "I'll be in. Go with nurse Xion for now. I'll try to be back soon." The other nodded and left to go inside his room. Axel sent him a weary glance and then turned and continued pushing the wheelchair out to door into the parking lot where he loaded the other male into the car and drove home.

It wasn't that late but the tea shop was nearing the closing time for the day. There were a few customers inside the shop chatting and Axel hesitantly locked the car and walked inside to find his roommate. As he entered a few heads turned looking him over and chatting quietly. The redheaded man felt awkward as he approached the counter when Riku was handing a bag to a customer which had been filled by Kairi. "Riku, I need your help." The other man nodded.

"With what?" Axel pause a moment before speaking, sending a clear message of anxiety to the other male. "How pissed off will I be?"

Axel let out a chuckle, "I'm trying to figure out the same thing. Remember when I told you about taking in donors?" The silver haired man's brows furrowed a bit and he nodded. "Well, it's kind of a long story, but I saved one from being hacked up today and he's in my car. Will you help me get him upstairs?"  
>"Whoa, hold on a minute." Riku put his arms up, "They are fucking expensive. You didn't steal him did you?" The customers that were close by looked over the couple with strange disturbed expressions.<p>

"No, I mean, he wasn't supposed to be one of the ones we got but…"

"Does Ansem know he is here?" the other nodded.

"Of course he does," Riku rubbed his temples.

"Okay come on then, bring him in here."

"He can't walk, that's what I need your help with." Riku shot back an annoyed expression.

"You're kidding me."

The other shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

Riku sighed. "You're going to have to have someone else help."

"Is Sora here?" The other male nodded and yelled for the brunette who was working in the back. Sora came out looking curiously at Riku.

"Would you help Axel with something?" The brunette smiled.

"Sure thing." Axel led him out to the car, the eyes of the customers curiously watching. Axel opened the trunk of his car and took out the wheelchair, unfolded it and sat it on the sidewalk. He came to the side and opened the passenger door to expose the blonde man with drool dripping off his chin. Sora's eyebrows rose at the sight. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's dumb," Axel countered quickly, "No questions, we just have to get him inside." The brunette gave and nod. "Will you hold the chair for me? I am going to life him out of the car." Sora held the chair, hitting the lock for the wheels and braced himself as the redhead strained to lift the thirty year old man from the passenger side of the car. He let out a sigh as the other was seated. Axel came around the side and unlocked the wheels and began to push him forward into the shop, Sora held the door. Axel tried to make no eye contact with the customers who eyeballed the man shamelessly. With all the genetic screening that had come about within the last fifty years it was a rare sight to see someone like the blonde. He looked as if he had a mental disability of some sort. Truly a rare sight to the shops occupants. He wheeled the man carefully behind the counter and took him back to the stairs. Axel took in the sight of the steep narrow staircase, letting out a harsh sigh. "I'm going to have to carry him up there. When I pick him up you run ahead and open the door." Axel reached into his pocket and took out a pair of keys. The brunette gave him a weak smile and Axel braced himself, bent over, and picked up the lanky man. He was significantly heavier than Roxas and awkward to carry since he was almost as tall as the redhead. The strain was clear on the others face and he carefully took each step up the stairs. Sora had the door open and ready for the other. Axel came inside and immediately went over and deposited the man on the couch, grimacing at the line of drool he left on his shoulder. Sora went over and looked down at the blonde man curiously. There was the light feathery soft pat of footsteps up the stair as Riku came to join them. He stood in the doorway a moment before venturing in and stopping behind Axel.

"He smells like shit." Riku was stoic.

Sora's eyes widened. "Well," he cut in quickly, "I'll just be… on my way now," He quickly slipped past the other males and ran down the stairs yelling a, "Bye." The silver haired man shook his head coming and placing a firm hand on the redhead's shoulder. Axel's face had drained of color as he stared at the drooling man on his sofa.

"I would help you out, but I dare say my lack of vision would make me of no use to you." The silver haired man gave a chuckle. "I suggest you go buy some adult diapers now."

҉

The blonde let out a soft, sad sigh. He let his head fall back and hang over the arm of the couch. The television was playing softly; he was a bit bored of the animal programming. It was a rerun of a documentary about the migration of whales. The clock read nine fifty, at least since the last time he checked. Axel was late and if he was here currently he would be packing up to leave soon. Roxas was a bit annoyed that the other male had not paid him a visit. Roxas picked his head up, it was nine fifty two, time was slow. There was a soft knock on the widow, Roxas looked over. Doctor Xemnas waved in at him. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Doctor Ansem asked me to check up on you." Roxas was quiet, looking over the other male. The doctor came over to the couch and gestured, "May I?" The blonde gave him a nod, sitting up to make room for the other. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

Roxas sent him a curious look, "I'm… not really doing much." He answered hesitantly.

"I see." He nodded, a slight smirk tugging the corners of his lips. "Here, I have an idea, would you mind waiting a moment?" Roxas raised an eyebrow at the other male, but agreed none the less. Xemnas got up from his place and left. He was gone for roughly ten minutes before reentering the room. He had an old box that was well beaten at the corners. Coming back over to the other side he set the box on the small table, sitting on the couch and opening it. He lifted a black and white checkered board and handed the blonde a pouch containing white pieces. "This is a game. This one particularly is a logical game of strategy, chess. Would you do me a favor and take a seat on the other side of the table? The blonde was intrigued by the concept and obediently sat on the floor across the man.

"What do you do?" Roxas couldn't control the smile that spread across his face.

"The goal of the game is to put the opponent's king," He held up the piece, "Into check so that they cannot escape. Each player has sixteen pieces: a King, a Queen, two Rooks, two Bishops, two Knights, and eights Pawns. The board is set up like this." Xemnas took his pieces from the pouch and set them accordingly on the board, then reached over to help the blonde set up his space. "White always moves first, that's you," the blonde reached to move one of his pieces but was stopped by Xemnas. "But each piece moves differently," The blonde furrowed his brows. Xemnas pointed to the front pieces, "First the pawn. It can move two spaces on the first move, then only one space after. It can only capture diagonally, by the way, when you capture a piece it gets taken off the board." The blonde nodded. "Second the Knight. They move in and 'L'; shape and are the only pieces that can move over other pieces. Third we have the bishop which can only move Diagonal and cannot move over other pieces. Fourth is the Rook which can move forward, backward and to the sides in a straight line. Lastly there is the King and Queen. The Queen can move any direction but in a straight line and again cannot move over pieces. The king can move any direction but one space at a time." Xemnas looked at the blonde who eyed the pieces before giving the doctor a smile. "There is more to it, but let's start with the basics. We can build on later. Are you ready?"

The blonde gave a quick nod. "Yeah, so I move first…" He cautiously picked up his pawn and moved it forward two. The game proceeded like any chess game, quiet and slow for anyone who was looking on. Xemnas kept making comments about not sacrificing pieces and that there was a better move in addition to the relentless instruction to play the whole board and no single piece. It often times left the blonde curiously looking at the board and second guessing himself. It didn't take long for Xemnas to put him in check, they played five short lived games before Axel arrived, coming in to be greeted by silent concentration. He took a seat on the floor on the right side of the table and watched. Roxas looked up from the board and smiled at the redhead, the smile then quickly dissipated to a frown, "You're late."

"Trust me, I would have rather been here."

"Stay focused Roxas don't put your rook there it opens you up and I can put you in check." Xemnas instructed Roxas bit his lips and returned to the game, looking over the pieces and then deciding accordingly.

"I was really bored… how did it go anyways?" Roxas asked, not taking his eyes from the board this time.

"Eh you know… okay I guess."

"That says a whole lot," Roxas countered sarcastically, giving the other a blank look.

"Check," Xemnas stated.

Roxas furrowed his brows, "What? …" He bit his lip looking over the board before moving his queen, and then returned his attention to the redhead.

"Checkmate." Xemnas stated coolly, leaning back. Roxas had just opened his mouth to speak to Axel, when he whipped his head around to glance at the board, frowning at the results. "You need to focus if you want to win." The elder doctor stated. Roxas simply nodded and let out a sigh. "That's it for now, its time you head to bed. Axel, don't stay to long." The redhead gave the man a nod and got to his feet.

"I need to ask you something Xemnas. Can we step outside a moment?" Roxas raised his eyebrow at the redhead as the two doctors exited the room and shut the door behind them. Roxas began to pick up the chess board and put it back into the box.

"What is it Axel?" Xemnas asked once outside the door.

"It's about the donor I took home today. Do you think you could request from Ansem someone to come and watch him during the day? I would do it but I feel like I am already in his bad graces for the moment and I don't dare ask."

Xemnas rolled his eyes, "What, can't handle a child?"

"Yeah sort of. I don't know how to take care of him. I don't even know how long it will take for him to start walking and talking." The redhead frowned.

"Maybe you need to learn to think before you take action. If I remember correctly you will have another donor coming very soon." Axel frowned at that, face paling. "I suggest you hire a nanny Axel because I know for certain that Ansem will not dish out any more money towards this." Xemnas gave him and evil grin before clicking the elevator button and leaving him. Axel gave a loud sigh and came into the room and slumped down on the love seat next to Roxas who gave him a confused look.

"And what was that all about?" His tone wasn't as sweet as normal and held a bit of malice in it. Axel rubbed his temples in thought of what to do with the man back home.

"I just had a question for Xemnas."

"Obviously." Roxas stated.

Axel brought his hands from his face and looked over towards the blonde. "Don't be mad at me Roxas," He frowned, "I didn't mean to be so late, honestly. Things just happened and I couldn't leave the house."

"He shouldn't have been allowed to leave the facility in the first place. If he is ready to go, then I should be able to go too." Axel frowned at him, the blonde was indeed angry and glared at the redheaded doctor.

"It's a different situation for you. I told you that. First, he was in danger here. He is a donor, he was going to be cut open for his organs, you are not. And second, you are worth a hell of a lot more money. More time is invested into you." Axel paused at the last comment and then sighed. "You are far more expensive than him. Ansem gives a damn about you… That other man, while his organs do fetch a fair price in the market, he is worthless and disposable to both this facility as well as the public. You have to stay here because you are important." Roxas furrowed his brows.

"I'm bored here."

"I know," Axel sighed. "But I already told you that being here is not going to last forever." Roxas' glare melted his eyes looked deep blue and sad. He reached out and wrapped his arms around the redheaded man.

"I'm sorry Axel." Axel looked down, stroking the back of the blonde head. He wished to take the blonde from this place, but all he could do was wait alongside him.

"Are you taking me to the pet shop next weekend?" Roxas asked taking his head up off of Axel's stomach. Axel gave him a warm smile.

"If you would like me to, then yes." The blonde beamed at him and then returned his head to rest against the other in their embrace.

"Sometimes I wish this was all I had to do."

Axel looked down and him sadly. "You would get bored."

"No I wouldn't."

"Sooner or later you would."

"I would die before that ever happened." The blonde countered.

Axel furrowed his brow. "Don't ever talk about dying, Roxas."

҉

The air was frigid when Axel finally returned home, stepping out of the car and walking inside. The lights in the shop were out as expected and as Axel entered. After clicking in the code for the security alarm he continued to the stairs, eyes being drawn away by a light from the shop kitchen filtering under the door. Axel curiously peeked his head into the room to view Riku furiously baking, mixing the bowl as if he was pounding something relentlessly to submission.

"Riku?" Axel asked as he entered the room. The man never answered and continued to mix the bowl. "Riku, is everything okay?" he came over and put a hand on the other's shoulder. Grimacing when it was shrugged off. It took a few moments for Axel to realize that the blonde man was upstairs alone. "Where is the donor?"

"Upstairs." Riku spat.

"Riku, what happened?"

Riku stopped his furious mixing, "Nothing happened. I can't take another minute of that man. He's appalling and helpless."

Axel raised a brow at that, "Yeah, he is essentially and infant. And you can't leave him alone, what did you do with him." Axel said turning on his heels and heading for the door.

"I sat him in front of the television."Axel gave a frustrated groan as he climbed the stairs and unlocked the door, looking around the room and spotting the man laid on the floor absorbed into the television. The blonde donor's eyes were glossed over, drooling, and watching as if nothing else existed. Riku came up the stairs after Axel and went to his side. "Well is he alright?"

"I can't tell if he is alive or not, he isn't moving."

"You're fucking kidding me? I leave him along for three hours and the bastard croaks!"

"Three hours?" Axel snapped back at the other.

"Look, he had television and a blanket. He finally shut up so I thought it was okay."

Axel rolled his eyes coming to the side of the other and pulling the man up to a sitting position. His mouth hung open and drool dripped out causing chills to run up Axel's spine. "No, keep your mouth closed, like this." He took a hand and closed the others jaw which gained him a brief five seconds of eye contact from the blonde, acknowledging his presence. The man kept his mouth closed but eyes glued to the television where a British voice narrated. It was a poker tournament; Axel gave an unseen glare to Riku. "Poker, you let him watch poker? Couldn't you have put on a children's show or something?"

The other shrugged, "Hey I didn't know what the fuck was on. Don't get you undies in a bunch. Your baby is going to be just fine." He teased Axel just huffed.

"We have to look for a baby sitter. Do you know any that can fill in for tomorrow?" Riku cocked and eyebrow at that.

"Why would I?"

"I don't know? Are there any agencies I can contact?"

"Don't you think it would be a bit weird for them to be babysitting a middle aged man?"

"He's not middle aged, he's thirty one."

Riku rolled his eyes "Because that makes it so much better. Look Axel your best bet would be to just watch him yourself, or get Ansem to find someone."

"Do you think one of the nurses would help" Axel asked perking up.

"Try it, Aerith is always eager to please."

Axel gave a nod, "Yeah I will ask her tomorrow morning, but Riku, please, can you watch him tomorrow while I am at work?" The silver haired man slammed his hand against the counter in annoyance and gave a long drawn out sigh.

"Whatever. You better be happy I fucking give a shit. I'll have Sora and Kairi take shifts watching him." Axel gave a smile.

"Thank you."

"What the fuck ever, I'm going to bed." Axel furrowed his brows at that.

"Bed… Riku… where is he going to sleep?" Riku gave him a glare.

"Hell no, don't even suggest it, he is not sleeping with me." Axel let out a groan.

"Come on Riku, I changed his fucking diaper. Let him sleep in your bed." Riku gave a harsh glare to the other before letting a sigh out.

"Fine, whatever but I will never touch his nasty adult diapers. That's your job."

"Thank you Riku," Axel sad softly, relieved. The other let a soft smile grace his face before helping the redhead get the drooling brute, Riku's words, into bed. The house was soon filled with soft midnight silence.


	12. Chapter 12

(Thursday)

_We sat there on the bank, the blonde man and I. He was a soft person, his words like a child's, raspy and uncertain, a virgin voice. "And what am I suppose to do here?" he asked. I looked at him thinking. The fish were out at sea and I longed for them. "Adapt." I replied slowly. He looked me over, before nodding. _

Roxas tapped his pencil on the desk repeatedly and chewed his lip. Zexion peered up at him from over the top of his book. Roxas was staring out the big glass window opposite him in the library. There were birds out pecking at the grass trying to get their last bit of food before migration.

"Roxas? Are you even reading?" The blonde jumped at Zexion's question, and then directed his eyes to the textbook.

"Sorry Professor." He mumbled. Zexion returned to his reading as well but was soon interrupted by the tapping of Roxas' pencil once more, he laid his book down.

"Roxas, please focus." The other flushed and then nodded. Zexion gave a huff, "Here, let's switch activities." Roxas gave a relieved sigh as Zexion got up from his seat and went outside. Roxas watched as the door pushed open, longing to be allowed to walk out one more time, but the door closed as Zexion came back in with the flowers. There wasn't much to be done, Roxas had to simply pull any weeds that decided to grow and water it. He then laid his head on his arms and stared at the plants. "Alright," Zexion groaned, he sat down next to the blonde. "What's going on?"

Roxas picked his head up and then laid it back down in his arms, looking away from the other man. "I can't talk to you about it."

"Why not?" Zexion persisted.

"You will tell Ansem or Xemnas." Zexion frowned pondering that for a moment and then sighed placing a hand on his shoulder, "I won't this time." Roxas turned his head and looked the professor over.

"I want to be finished learning. Axel says that when I know everything you guys have to teach me then I can finally leave here. I want to be finished."

"Well Roxas, it's impossible to know everything." Zexion sighed.

"I know. I know nothing. That's why I need to leave." The professor smiled and nodded.

"You are very intelligent. I'm sure when the time is right you will be allowed to go. But right now we still have a few more textbooks to get trough, Anatomy, Chemistry, and Physics. And we aren't making any more progress."

"Even if I do, I doubt I will be able to go." Zexion furrowed his brows at that. "I saw Axel taking home a man yesterday who couldn't even talk. I think it is an excuse that I need to know everything… he knew nothing and he got to leave."

Roxas was giving the slate haired professor a look of distress. Zexion gave him a reassuring smile, "Yes but your circumstances are different from his."

"But why professor? I read in my history textbook that in this country you are supposed to be entitled to happiness and freedom. And in history all over the world people who are different have gained their rights and are able to do what they want. Don't I have rights too? Can't I- "

"Your circumstances are different Roxas." Roxas answered with sad watering eyes. He averted eye contact and bit his lip. "Roxas?" Zexion gave him a concerned expression and pulled his shoulder to turn him around. Roxas shrugged him off. Zexion was never one for social interaction and became confused when he heard Roxas lose the battle with his tears, his body shaking lightly. "It's…it's okay Roxas." Zexion said softly and, after a second of debating, awkwardly put his arms around him rubbing his back softly. It took the blonde a few moments to regain his composure and let out a shaky sigh.

"Thank you," he stated, giving the professor a weak smile and then grabbing his textbook and pulling it towards him. He spent the rest of his time in the class reading silently to himself. He wondered if Axel would join him for lunch.

҉

_Hello my name is… What is your name? ... How have you been? ... I have been fine, thank you... Do you know where to find…? Yes I believe it is… The sky is blue… I do think there is a storm coming… All of the leaves have fallen… No, that isn't the correct answer, you must have meant… Hello, we have been waiting your arrival… No, I couldn't have possibly met you before… What is today?_

҉

Axel had taken the day off that morning, calling Ansem and informing him that he needed to figure out how to take care to the donor for the time being. He was sat up in the living room on a blanket, back supported by the leather couch. Axel had turned on the television for him and was researching infant care online. At noon he left the donor under Riku's careful ears to go out and purchase adult diapers and fresh produce to mash. He felt awkward as the cashier rang up the items, giving him an odd expression. He quickly returned home to find the blonde man in the same position as when he left, staring up at the television. The channel had been changed by Sora to what seemed to be a violent pirate film. Axel about dropped his groceries. He came over and gave a frown at the television.

"Calm you're horses, Mama Axel," Riku said lightly before Axel got the chance to say anything. "Your precious baby will be just fine. It's just television." Axel blushed at that.

"Please don't call me Mama Axel." Axel groaned. Riku gave him a smug look.

"Then stop acting like it." The redhead rolled his eyes.

"Have you fed him?"

"Nope," Axel let out another groan and went over to the counter and removed the groceries from the bag. He continued to wash them and then take out a knife. Riku came over grabbing what was on the counter feeling it.

"Really you bout him fresh fruits? What are you going to make your own baby food?"

Axel flushed again, "I was just going to mash it for him, is that so bad?" Riku just laughed at him.

"No, there is nothing wrong with that." Axel frowned, he was annoyed.

"Fine I won't. I don't give a shit."

"Yes you do, and now that you're here I'm sure the poor bastard won't get a moments peace."

"What do you mean?" Axel had put the vegetables down and was looking tiredly at the silver haired male.

"You'll be way the hell too busy trying to teach him or making him eat and… whatever the hell else you do."Riku shrugged, "It's not your fault, you've been trained to do it. I'm sure Roxas never gets a moments rest either."

Axel scowled at him. "I fully intend to leave him exactly where he is for your information."

"Oh really."

"Yes and in addition to that Roxas does get time to himself his class ends at five and doesn't resume until eight the next day."

"And I'll take a wild guess that from the hours of five to… eh, around ten you are in his room with him." Axel was about to snap back a smart comment and then stopped himself. It was true. He instead furrowed his brows. "See, not a moment's peace. Don't smother this poor guy like you do to him." Riku taunted.

Axel's brow only creased more, "Fuck you Riku." Axel stormed off into his room and shut the door. He could hear the mumble of remarks coming from Sora and Riku in the kitchen. "Jesus," He went over and laid back on his bed letting out a sigh. Roxas enjoyed his company. He wasn't smoothing anyone. The redhead let out a growl the whole situation was stressing him out. Mainly due to the fact that he wasn't sure how much he could handle, the donor could very well stay like he was for the rest of his life. In addition the fact that being expelled from the project had finally dawned on him that morning, he had never been kicked out of something his whole life. The situation loomed over his head all day. Axel got up and went to his briefcase and looked inside as he sat down at his desk. There was nothing for him. There was no work to be done. He was not wanted or needed in any project that was going. Was his time being useful truly over? Axel let out a sigh as he placed his head against his briefcase. Everything he had ever worked towards was over with. What was he suppose to do? The overwhelming feeling of uselessness, of emptiness, and pointlessness dropped deep into his stomach and Axel felt as if he was sinking. He was a bottle under pressure that had just had the lid torn off. Salty sweet tears rolled over his cheeks, a few collecting in the corners of his thin lips. They mixed with saliva as he swallowed back his stress.

_And what am I supposed to do here? Adapt? Adapt. Adapt. Adapt…_


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey, sorry I took so long. I tried to write quickly and I tried to edit quickly but…. Oh Well…. If you see any typos you should help me out and copy and paste them into a review and I will fix it! Thanks for all of your help and support.**

(Thursday afternoon)

There was an overwhelming urge to see Roxas. It was like an itch Axel couldn't scratch. He had spent the remainder of Thursday afternoon walking aimlessly in the park. He came to perch on the bank of the pond; he had been moving in that direction for a while. He felt as if he should root himself and remain forever. Looking over the white flowers and watching the rustling of the wild grasses in the autumn breeze. He was perched there on the bank simply watching and reflecting. The white moon had risen; the sky turned a soft violet, fading to grey. How long had he been asleep? Axel picked himself up from the bank brushing away the natural matter that had clung to his skin and clothes. From there he made the walk to the shop. He went in from the back door and up the stairs. Riku had sat up to wait for him, it was midnight. Riku apologized. Axel smiled but shrugged him off; he was in no mood to speak with anyone. All he wanted was to refresh himself. He walked straight to the bathroom. The scalding water beat down against his skin. It was uncomfortable but necessary. Ansem had yet to call him. Was he supposed to just show up? The water began to die down, his thoughts stopped pouring. He laid in his bed wet and empty.

Axel left in the afternoon after receiving a call from Ansem. He was seated on a stool at their kitchen counter when the call came in. Ansem informed him that work had been lined up for him to complete. In addition the head of police saw to it personally to take the organizations site down since it violated the privacy of the doctors in the facility; apparently it had been down since eleven the previous night. Ansem assured the other that any acts of retaliation were being monitored and if anything happened he was to report it immediately himself.

"Xemnas will be helping you today. You are to direct any further questions about your work to him since you are taking over all of his patient duties. He is filling both his and your place in the project. There is an appointment today at three in the afternoon, please be punctual. Xemnas will be with you for today only and you must make a good first impression."

"Yes Ansem, I will be there." Axel said.

"Good, have a nice afternoon." With that Axel closed his phone, placing his head on the counter. He could see the disapproving face of the woman from the park clearly in his mind. He shuddered at the thought of retaliation, but took in a deep breath. It was foolish to believe anything would happen. The International Facility for Genetic Research and Experimentation was one of the largest facilities in the nation. It had the support of both the city and the government. In addition the organization was of civilians; Axel doubted their ability to retaliate in an organized manor. The police would squash their actions in a heartbeat. Axel shook the thoughts off and took a deep breath. He wanted to see Roxas but knew the blonde would be in classes. Axel collected his things and made a slow drive over to the hill top facility. The sun was behind the clouds. After signing in he walked down the back hall peering in through the windows at the offices. He wondered which one would be his; now that he was getting patients he would finally get his own office, right? There was one void of any life or supplies bear walls and empty table surface. That could be it. Axel smiled at the room and then made a call to Doctor Xemnas who was in a meeting for the project upstairs and informant him that after he would give the redhead a call and they would meet in his office.

Noon, Roxas had just been brought in his lunch when Axel stepped into the room. He gave the doctor a friendly smile and was going to stand and approach the redhead, but was stopped when Axel dove, flopping backwards onto the seat over the arm of the sofa, bouncing a few times. His head fell into the other's lap. Roxas chuckled at the redhead's antics; he had never seen anyone do that before. He was surprised it didn't break the loveseat.

"Hey." Axel said shooting the other an upside-down grin.

Roxas laughed for a minute, "Hello there," He replied. "What are you doing?"

"Just laying here." The other shrugged, "Nothing much else, why what are _you_ doing?"

"Trying to eat lunch, it's awkward with you watching though." Roxas blushed slightly.

"It probably is, I can see up your nose and everything from down here." Roxas' hand automatically went to cove the feature, but his arm was grabbed gently and pulled away by the redhead who was chuckling softly at the other. Axel then sat up and oriented himself correctly in the seat.

"Good day?"

"Yeah, I get to start a new job today. It's like a sudden wave of excitement hit me, I think I get my own office."

"That's nice, what are you going to get to do Axel?"

"Well I think it's along the lines of- … hold on a second Rox." Axel reached into his pocket and pulled out the vibrating devise, clicking it and bringing it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello Axel, I am ready for you when you come up, try not to take too long."

Axel smirked, "Yeah okay, I'm on my way." Xemnas clicked the other line off without so much as a goodbye, but Axel merely grinned at the other. "It's time for me to go. Xemnas is going to show me what to do. I'll tell you about it when I come see you tonight." Roxas grinned at the other.

"Alright then Axel." He stated quietly as he reached over and wrapped his arms around the doctor. "I'll probably be here waiting." Axel left his spot on the seat and exited the room. He had forgotten to lock the door but Roxas made no effort to move he simply reclined back, stretching himself out on the length of the love seat and felt the remaining heat Axel's body left. He counted the tiles on the ceiling until the leather cooled, and the warmth faded.

Axel walked up and opened the door to the office where Xemnas was collecting his files from his case and piling them onto the desk. He didn't give the redheaded Doctor a smile as he entered, just an acknowledging grunt as he continued his work. Axel came over to the desk and took a hold of a few of the files, there was about thirty by the time Xemnas was finished with his cleaning.

"These are all the patient files." Xemnas stated. He picked up the stack and put them in Axel arms. He was taken off guard by the weight but then followed the doctor as he quickly paced out of the room jingling some keys and going down the hall to the elevator. Xemnas clicked the button and the doors opened. The pair stood in awkward silence until they were grounded on the first floor. Xemnas' face looked like that of a stalking tiger, he was not pleased. He walked down the hall and unlocked the office allowing Axel entrance. The redhead's face lit up, he walking in. Room B32, it was the very last room on the left side of the hall leading to Roxas' room. There was a window, and an empty place where a plaque with his name would go. Axel set his files down on the desk.

"So what do I do, Doctor?" Axel chirped, he was like a child at Christmas time. The enthusiasm made Xemnas droop more.

"File those," He pointed at the files on the desk, "There should be a key in the top drawer of your desk. Make sure you keep your desk and file cabinet locked at all times. Xemnas then proceeded to take the room key from his key ring as Axel opened up the desk and received the key, depositing it in his pocket, and began to place the files into the top of the cabinet. "Any of Roxas' files need to be kept in my room. That's Ansem's orders not mine, so I would like them brought in tomorrow." Axel frowned but nodded none the less, he began to alphabetize the files by the names of the patients.

"Alright so what's this job entail?"

Xemnas gave a sigh and sat down on the desk. "You know about the fetuses in the labs?" Xemnas paused to lazily glance at the other, who rolled his eyes and nodded.

"You know I do." Axel sighed.

"Well this job is more about the beginning stages of that. It is going to become more advanced later on, using technology from Roxas, but for now that is not available to the public. We want the parents to raise their kids not watch them float in a glass tank for the first fifteen years of their life." Axel gave him a weak smile. "But we won't be experimenting anymore until after we get Xehnort out of our hair." The man muttered. Axel gave him a weary look but then nodded. "So basically your work will be only in Lab One, Two, and Three. No more Lab Four. And if I am correct you have never worked in Lab One, right?" Axel nodded. He leaned against the window sill. "So each patient is different. Most are homosexual couples. I'll go over men first. So once you obtain a sample you then need to take them up to lab One and- …"

Axel let out a sigh, "Ansem had me learn all of this. It's in a textbook; I have it back at home. Why don't we skip ahead, I can tell you are going to bore me. I mainly need to know how to operate the machinery… Besides I'm better at learning through action rather than explanation."

Xemnas gave a nod. "Alright then, we can start when the patients come in."

"That's going to be a few hours." Axel let out a laugh. "Isn't there something we can do?"

"You need to prepare the paperwork, this couple is brand new. You also need to organize your room. It makes the patients more comfortable…" The redhead let out a sigh.

"I don't have anything to put in here. All I have are those files you gave me." The silver haired man shrugged.

"A part of this job is in appearance. If they don't like you then they won't want you handling their baby and might go to a different doctor. Why don't you just run home and grab some personal items. Pictures and junk. Expecting mother's love to see pictures of your family on your desk." Xemnas smirked as he stated that.

"I just got here though… how about I bring it in later."

The other male shrugged, "Well, while I'm thinking about it let's go down and grab some paperwork. It's kept in that front office with the secretaries." Axel gave a nod and set what he had in his hand down, walking with the elder doctor back to the lobby and entering the office behind the patient registry and sign-in counter. There were shelves with various color coded files wedged into cabinets. Xemnas walked over to a metal grey filing cabinet and open the top drawer pulling out a folder and taking a stapled packet out. He then went through and grabbed a few other papers and handed them off to Axel. "This is what they will need to fill out after they arrive, they get them from the front desk but it's always good to have extras. They will bring those in, it's up to you to file them and keep them safe. You have to have the secretary run a copy of them; she needs it for the online database." Xemnas leaned against the cabinet. "When they arrive you will explain the procedures and any risks the program might have, for example if they lose the baby they reschedule a new time to donate samples. You also will have to explain the karyomapping and genetic selection for them. There is a form here." He handed the paper to the other doctor. "They select physical traits here and we can try to isolate those genes but it is only guaranteed 30%. Once we switch over to our newer technology we can do it 100%, but for now it's not approved. In addition they sign a form which is optional but costs a fee. It states that if the baby has any type of genetic flaw or birth defect that it is to be terminated. Most people sign that form." He shifted the papers in Axel's hands, "That is right here."

Axel flipped through the paper work reading over small sections, "And you will be there to help me today?"

"Yes, but don't worry, most of this is just liability. It's just government hoops, the process is very easy." Axel nodded, reading for another moment and then looking back at the other doctor. "Ready to head back?"

"If this is all we need then yes." Xemnas turned and lead the way from the office to the lobby they made their way back to hallway 1B. Axel unlocked his office and entered, setting the paper work down at the desk. He took a seat and looked through them for a moment. "Anything else?"

"No, now we get to wait. I myself am going to head out for lunch. I think right now is a splendid time for you to go out and bring in a few things like I suggested earlier. It makes it a lot less barren and cold in here." Axel let out a sigh.

"Fine. I got here not even an hour ago. You guys should have told me this sooner. I would have brought it." Axel sighed.

The silver hair male chuckled, "I figured you would have things already."

"I didn't know I was getting an office." Axel couldn't help but smirk. "Oh well, I'll be back real soon." Axel got up from his spot and exited, going out the side exit door at the end of the hall and making his way to the car. He stood for a moment unlocking his car and then drove home. Once he arrived back he entered the shop and headed straight back to the stairs, passing Riku on his way. It was scarce of customers for a lunch hour. There was only one dark haired individual sitting at a chair along the wall. He had a folded news paper on the table surface, and smiled at Axel politely when he entered.

"Axel?" the other asked. "I thought you just left."

"I did, but I got my own office. Xemnas told me to grab some personal items since the room is plan and white. I don't think it has been used in a few years."

"Wow, they actually gave you one?"

"Yeah?" His laugh was a bit breathless, "I doubted them for a moment but yeah, my own office."

"So why do you need to get personal items," Riku leaned against the counter.

Axel shrugged. "Xemnas said that it makes the patients more comfortable. I don't mind either, but hey, I need to get going. I have paper work waiting for me when I get back."

"And so the stage of turning into a desk monkey begins. Do me a favor Axel," The other had already begun to walk away but none the less stopped and gave the silver male his attention. "We got some mail, will you sort it for me, just leave any of mine in my bedroom on the desk."

"Sure thing." Axel waved him off and then proceeded to the apartment. Sora was trying to get the donor to eat and let out a relieved sigh when Axel entered.

"Great you're here!" He stood, "I can't get him to do anything. All he does is pull himself over and turn on the television."

Axel chuckled at that. "Well what does he watch?"

"Poker" Sora said flatly. "Poker and cheesy pirate films."

"You're the adult here Sora, hide the remote on him."

"But then he won't eat."

Axel shrugged. "Figure it out." As he entered his room he wasn't sure what to grab and thus took a box from his bedroom closet and set it on the bed. First he set in his computer; from there he grabbed a few pieces of paperwork making sure to tuck any files that pertained to Roxas or that project into his briefcase to deliver to Xemnas when he arrived back. There was a small six by four picture of him and Riku back when they were kids. Ansem had taken them to a theme park. Riku was about thirteen, Axel was about seven. That was their first and last trip. If Axel remembered correctly, it was also his birthday. He picked up the picture and put it in the box as well. He grabbed a candy dish and a couple paper weights, but all in all there wasn't much that he had. Axel kept his room simple, he always had. He never grew up with personal possessions, thus didn't keep them now. Once he had everything he could think of he took his box out and set it on the counter, going over and looking through the mail that was placed on the edge. He flipped through, all read Riku's name save the last. It was a clean, white, professional looking envelope with Axel's name scrolled in cursive over the front. There was no address. The redhead shrugged and placed it in his pocket before going and putting Riku's mail on his bed. He then went over and lifted his box, calling a "see yah" to the brunette and the donor. He carefully made his way to the car, and set his things in the back seat. The shop had cleared out. Axel then proceeded to get into his car and drive back to the facility. The large shadow stretched over the parking lot. Axel drove and parked in the far side of the lot. He had never had a spot over with the other doctors, but never really minded. At about this time the parking lot was pretty full due to the amount of patients and their families. Last time Axel checked there were a few fetuses ready to be taken from their tanks. He assumed there was a large party of people greeting their new child to the family. Axel opened the car door and stepped out, turning to get the stuff from his back seat. There was a soft thump. Axel paused and looked down. The envelope had fallen from his white coat pocket. He bent down and picked it up. He debated opening it then but simply shrugged it off. Putting it on top of his box and walking back into the facility where he signed in and walked down Hall 1A to his room in the adjoining hall, 1B. He entered. Xemnas was taking his lunch right at the redhead's desk. Axel came in, smiling at the elder male and set his box down on the desk. He immediately began to unpack his things leaving the paper weight and various jars scatted on the edge. He sat the picture up to the right. Xemnas smirked and took hold of it, pulling it over and looking at the image. He gave a chuckle and then set it back down.

"That sure was a long time ago. Riku is actually standing next to him."

"Yeah," Axel let out a breathless laugh, "Crazy huh?" The other snorted and then got up from his place.

"What's this?" Xemnas asked lifting up the envelope from the top of the box and turning it over in his hands. Axel looked over at the other as he tried to fit the box into the closet.

"Riku got it from the mail today." He furrowed his brows. "Jesus Xemnas is there anywhere to put this? Does everyone just dump their garbage in this closet?" Xemnas raised a brow and looked over, smirking for a moment.

"Seems that way, this room hasn't been used in a few years." Axel nodded pushing the box into the small space with a crash. He shut the door and made his way over. "Seems a bit odd doesn't it?" Xemnas asked. "There is no return address, nor is there your address. Whoever sent it hand delivered it."

Axel came to the other's side holding out his hand. Xemnas deposited the envelope in it. "Maybe it's my secret admirer." Xemnas snorted.

"Who would admire you?"

"Ouch Xemnas," Axel rolled his eyes. "Here, I'll open it." Axel said putting his thumb under a loose edge of the adhesive flap and tearing when a knock came from the window. Axel redirected his eyes to the door. Through the small window they could see a nurse wave in at them. Xemnas came to open the door. Axel walked over, depositing the envelope by the picture on his desk.

"Doctor."

"Hello Yuffie."

"Doctor Axel's patients are here half an hour early. Can you take them now?"

"Yes will you bring them in? Axel's nervous." Axel blushed at that, shooting the other a glare from behind his desk.

"I am not."

Yuffie giggled. "I'll be back." She turned and went back down the hall, Xemnas closed the door.

"So it's all about appearance. You know the stuff. You have seen me doing it all the time. Just explain it to them and have them fill out the paper work. I'll be right here if you need me but you need to do most of the talking. I'm going to introduce myself to them as your colleague who will be assisting in the lab, but they need to be confident in you and know that you are their doctor, not me. The appointment is under last name Edmins. I think it is two males."

Axel smiled, nodding. He wouldn't outwardly show or admit it to Xemnas but he was nervous. He came around to the other side of his desk and sat down, taking in a breath. There was a knock from the door and then Yuffie opened it and let a young couple walk in nervously. Axel sat up in his seat and smiled warmly at them. "Hello," he called to them softly. The pair gave him a wave and filed in taking a seat across the desk. They set the appropriated paperwork on his desk. Axel picked it up looking it over, Xemnas reading over his shoulder, and then it was set on the edge of his desk.

"So we pretty much have more paper work to do. You may call me Axel." He smiled and reached his hand across the desk to shake the two males' hands.

"And I am Doctor Xemnas."

The nervous brunette male smiled, "We must be special to get two doctors."

Xemnas smiled, "No I am just assisting him in the lab." The other nodded.

"So," Axel began, "How long have you guys been wanting a child?" he was trying to break the ice. Xemnas gave him a curious look.

"Our whole life, but within the past year we have decided it was time."

Axel nodded and smiled. "Well what we need from you two is samples and information on what you would like." Axel shifted through his papers and found the appropriate stack. "These forms are basically pertaining to the physical characteristics and gender of your child, the other is a liability form that states if we catch a deformity in your child we are to terminate it and start over. We cannot relieve the fetus unless you sign this."

" And being a male and male couple your child has a higher risk of deformation." Xemnas cut in. The pair nodded looking over the paperwork and began to write.

"Is it possible to have our child's genes be randomly selected? We have looked into genetic selection and really see no need for it."

Xemnas nodded. "Yes, just don't fill out the form." He smiled. The couple then smiled and set the one signed form and the other empty one down. Axel looked it over and added it to the stack on the edge of his desk.

"We prefer to have this as natural as we can get it."

"Understandable." Axel shrugged. Axel took out a few more of the liability forms and passed them over. It took a total of thirty minutes before the pair finished.

"Are you gentlemen free to provide us with samples now?"

"Sure." Both had a slight flush on their cheeks.

"Alright Axel, come with me, I'll show you were they are." Axel nodded standing. "Please excuse us for a moment." The two stayed stationary and the two doctors exited. Xemnas took them down the hall back to the room where the paperwork was held. He opened a closet door and took out a box. "This is short term transport since you are only taking it upstairs. You only need a simple specimen canister. If they wanted to take it home they would need one that vacuum seals and it would have to be refrigerated." Axel's face scrunched a bit but he nodded. "I always wear gloves when dealing with this part of the job. Take two." Axel reached in and took two and then returned to the room where the men we nervously laughing about something. Axel walked in and handed them the canisters. "I'll show you where you two can go. There is one sperm sample needed and one skin sample. " Xemnas stated. The pair stood and followed the silver haired doctor out of the room to another windowless furnished room. Axel's brows rose.

"I didn't know we had a room for this here."

The two men had filed in and the door shut and locked. "Do you think we let them do that in our offices?" Axel snorted at the statement. "Now if it were a woman we would have to schedule a date for egg extraction. It's painful so we put them under to do it." Axel nodded.

"And I would have to preform that?"

"Eventually, the first few times you would be mentored. I'll admit that it's not fun." Axel shrugged. They decided to walk back to the room and wait. Xemnas informed him that there was a buzzer in the room the patients had to push to leave and a nurse would escort them back, it was the nurse's job to clip a small skin sample. It took roughly fifteen minutes before the pair was back at the door and being let in. Axel had already put away his files. The specimen canisters were set on the desk with the proper labels and they sat down awkwardly. "Alright" Xemnas stated, "We are going to take this up to the lab and begin. You will be contacted later for a follow up appointment depending if we have been successful. If not we might need another sample. The two males nodded reaching out to shake both doctors' hands before exiting. Axel simply looked down at his hand with a disgusted face.

"Um…"

Xemnas looked over and smirked, "Don't worry, there is a sink in there."

The redhead let out a sigh. "I'm not sure if that makes it better."

The elder laughed. "Grab those, come on," Axel's face scrunched again as he picked up the canisters and follow Xemnas out and to the elevator to the third floor.

Lab One wasn't a place Axel often ran checkups on. This was mainly due to the fact that most doctors kept close eyes on their own patient's children at this stage since most mutations occurred at that level. The tanks were much smaller, some had little fetus's floating in them that were about the size of a thumb nail. They didn't look like much at that stage, just a pink blob. "Ever been on this side of the fence before?" Xemnas asked coming over and leading him to a big machine. There was a large micro scope and a covered area. "This machine is incubated with womb like conditions. It is completely sterile to keep the cells from falling prey to infection or parasites." Axel laughed a bit.

"Yeah that would be hard to explain to awaiting parents."

"So before you can start you have to have everything prepared. The machine can be opened once in progress but it puts the cells in danger. You will need a few Petri dishes. I would put four or five in this side compartment." Xemnas lead him over and showed him. "And you need to take the skin graph over to our spin kit. Axel looked over to the other side where a small machine sat. "With this you have to be careful of protein contamination, all the protein needs to be broken down. It separates the DNA out of the cells." Axel nodded and he took the liberty of setting the machine up and letting it run with the sample for a moment. "Don't open the test tube until it is in the machine hub. Xemnas instructed. He then came over to the machine and loaded the tube and appropriate materials.

"So you place the samples here in this compartment," Xemnas lead him around the side. "It then closes and you have to come over to the computer." The computer was mounted on the machine, bolted down and connected next to the microscope. "You know how temperamental these machines are." Xemnas stated with a hint of sarcasm. "You have to initiate a cleaning sequence. The machine will begin to vacuum seal itself and do a laser cleaning, it will tell you when it's finished. It then will be moved to this second chamber," Xemnas motioned to the area under the glass. "There is a dial for the light here on the side." Axel looked at the area. Xemnas let out a sigh. The pair waited roughly five minutes before the supplies were moved into the appropriate hub. "This next part is a bit frustrating, you probably won't be able to get it right away but you have to operate mechanical arms. They are kind of hard to operate at first but after a while I'm positive you will get the hang of it. Using the DNA from the skin graph you then combine it with stem cells. So first you have to sort it, I trust you can Identify DNA?" Axel who was watching the mechanical arm from the glass looked to the silver haired doctor with an annoyed nod. "Then go Axel. You need to empty the test tube into a Petri dish and sort the DNA."

"Alright." The red head came over and took a hold of the controls. He took hold of the test tube shakily, and pulled a Petri dish with the other arm steadily over in front of him where the microscope could look.

"Don't spill that or you will have to call in the patients." Axel sighed rolling his eyes.

"I won't," Carefully the little mechanical claw unscrewed the lid of test tube, gentle pouring its contents into the clean dish.

"Now real quick, before you get going on that." Xemnas said stopping him right as the redhead began to put his eyes to the microscope. "Get another Petri dish and come over here to the computer. I have to show you something." Axel did as he was instructed and lifted his face to view the screen of the computer. "You need to now inform the computer to take a sample of stem cells from its holding base." Xemnas demonstrated and a compartment in the back opened and placed a frosty tube in the hub retracting back in. "As that warms collect the DNA."

Axel nodded bringing his eyes back to the microscope and used the delicate metal arm to fish through the sample unlit he found the stringy hair like structure and held it, allowing the elder doctor to look in and inspect his work. "Great, now carefully put that in the empty Petri dish and then add the stem cells to it.

Axel's brow furrowed "But don't the stem cells need to be engineered into egg cells?"

Xemnas chuckled. "The machine has a steady supply of cells kept in a cellular limbo between becoming tissue cells. By placing the stem cells with the DNA of the skin cell an egg can be created that is essentially, if it were to be fertilized by its skin donor's own sperm, a clone."

"Where did these stem cells come from?" Axel questioned as he put his eyes back to the microscope and open the tube, allowing the liquid and the cells to mix with the DNA.

"Every time a fetus dies the cells are sent to places where they are engineered for science. Some come back here." Axel nodded.

"Okay, got it."

"Good, here, move for a minute. I will do the next part." The redhead wearily gave up his control on the process and Xemnas took the spot at the micro scope. "You have to give the cells a little electric zap. Too much will kill the group, but without it they don't do what you need them to." Xemnas stated, he finished and took his eyes from the microscope. "You have to give it a little bit of time now but basically from here you will go to the computer and isolate the sperm canister in a back compartment and initiate a weeding out process. Basically the machine adds water with an elevated pH into the canister to weed out any weak links."

Axel made a false scared expression, "Poor little guys."

The silver haired Doctor ignored the comment. "That will keep them back there for five minutes. Once the egg had formed, you will fertilize it and wait. You cannot export the specimen until it has formed a zygote. After, it will be moved via the tubing to a holding tank. And you know from there how that goes. The tank is disconnected and taken to the according lab."

"Yeah I know." Axel stated, he came to the counter across the room and leaned against it.

"So how long should it take to make an egg?"

"Roughly twenty minutes, the shock makes everything jumpy. I would check it then." Axel nodded. "I'm going to head out, can you can handle yourself in here?"

The redhead smirked. "Yeah I'll do fine." The sliver haired male nodded and exited the room. Axel let out a long sigh, walking over moments later to look into the microscope and smiling at the cluster of cells. They looked as if they had gobbled up the hair-like strand of DNA and were now splitting rapidly. Axel grabbed one of the chairs over at the counter and sat back in it. Staring at the ceiling. After a few minutes he decided that it would be beneficial to bring something to preoccupy his mind next time to keep him from having to sit and wait idly. It felt like an eternity before Axel could press his eyes back to the microscope and looked through at the cluster of cells that had formed a perfect egg. He initiated the machine and it took the sperm canister back, peeled the lid of and deposited the required fluid. Dead sperm, chemical and all he poured the contents into the Petri dish and waited. Keeping an eye on the sample and when one had burrowed into the wall he carefully deposited the egg safe in its own dish again. It took a while longer before he had the egg safely deported from the machine hub, awaiting entry into the womb like tank. It was full of the warm, sticky fluid, floating peacefully. The redhead exhaled with relief, checking over his handy work and then deciding it was fine to continue back to his office, exiting the lab and locking it. He turned away from the door stepping out to walk back down the hall when the redhead was startled by a forceful hand to his shoulder from behind. It swung him around and pressed him painfully to the wall. His back slammed against the white wall, head bouncing off like a ball, shaking him and hanging. He was able to pick his head back up and lazily look. The hands held him firm, everything was shaking and spinning eventually coming together to make one image. The humming in his ears ceased and he could understand what was being said.

"None of you pussy-footed staff around to help you now, right doctor?" It took Axel a moment to register that the man was not only holding him but was choking him firmly with one hand. The amber eyes of Doctor Saix bore into the other's skin, he gasped. "What's that? Having trouble speaking? I tend to have that effect on people." His grip tightened and Axel's vision wavered. The other male was the same size as the redhead, but Axel found himself defenseless. His oxygen deprived muscles did little as he attempted to push the man, it only angered him. "Mark my words you worthless piece of shit. If you meddle in my project again I'll hurt you in the worst way possible. You will be afraid to even blink. Do you understand me?" Axel did his best to nod his head 'yes' his eyes were beginning to roll back. "Good." The other male dropped Axel, stepping back as the redhead collided with the tiled floor. The redhead weakly picked himself up gasping. Saix took a moment to inspect his work before he swooped back down and grabbed a fistful of hair pulling back on his head and stomping a foot down on the other's back. Axel hissed in pain. "I would hate for your little friend downstairs to get jealous of our talk. If you tell anyone I'll make sure you never see him again. Got that?" Axel growled nodding as best he could with his neck pulled as such an angle. The other male was satisfied with his answer and released the other again; giving him a firm kick to the ribs that made the other scream before leaving.

In a panic Axel quickly picked himself up in fear someone who heard might be coming to check the commotion. No one came. Axel braced himself against the wall for a brief moment, panting, and holding his side. He imagined his ribs were broken; there was immense pain with each short intake of breadth. Axel decided to seek the security of his office to recollect himself. The redhead took the elevator after limping from the back hallway and waited inside the cavity to be brought to the first floor. In that time he straightened himself so that if he were to come across anyone he would appear normal. He made a show of casually walking to his office and going inside where, once alone, he deflated and collapsed in a chair resting his hand on his brow. After a moment of pain and a suppressed moan, Axel leaned back and gently coaxed his shirt up to examine his rib cage. The area was bruised beyond recognition and swollen. Axel winced as he took two fingers and, as gently as he could, prodded the area to see if he could feel a break. Axel bit his lip to muffle a scream of pain as his fingers brushed over one spot particularly. It was broken. Axel took his keys from his pocket clutching them tightly and trying to build up the motivation to get up from his seat. He would have to call Ansem if he wanted care. The redhead froze. To call Ansem would be telling the elder man what had happened. He couldn't. Not only due to the threat but out of pride. His guard had been down and he was now paying the price of that. The redhead let out a sigh, wincing at the intake of breath. Could he get treatment if he were to go into an emergency room? He had no insurance, could he afford the bill that would come? Axel carefully brought a hand up and rested it against his brow.

._҉_

Roxas followed the ebony haired nurse to the library where he had professor Zexion waiting for him. Roxas sent the other a perplexed look and slowly advanced towards the table. The blonde sat, face still donning the contemplating expression as the professor pulled out his textbook and slid it to him.

"We are on chapter twelve I believe. We are just picking up where we left off, have you read it yet?"

"Yes professor, but… I guess I could refresh my memory."

"Good. I will go over it all when you are finished." Zexion stated before burring his face back into his book once more.

Roxas didn't open the textbook instead he gave the other a curious look. He proceeded to shift his gaze from the male to the bookshelf beside him standing immediately and going over to the unit. The action startled Zexion and he opened his mouth to speak but the closed it and watched the other at the book shelf. "Where are my history textbooks?" Roxas inquired.

"Removed." Zexion stated.

"Removed? But why?"

"Ansem as well as the council that sponsors your project believes you know all you need to about that subject." Roxas remained silent for a moment, brows knitting tight together he glared at the book shelf in thought.

"That's impossible," he finally stated, "I still had two more textbooks to read, she had just ordered more. They are lying." Roxas paused and then sent the other male a harsh stare. "This is about what I told you the other day…isn't it?"

The professor reminded collected as he stared the other down, "No it does not. I kept my word and never said a thing."

"Then why else would they remove the books?"

"You have learned enough as far as history goes." Zexion stated.

"But that's a lie."

"Your test scores were perfect."

"Yes but there is still more to know!" Roxas voice escalated.

"Think of it as one step closer to knowing everything." Roxas paused. He thought about that a moment and looked off to the window.

"When I know everything I can finally leave..."

"Yes."

"And now they believe I know everything I need for that subject." Roxas looked to the professor. "Now I have more time to learn everything in this subject."

Zexion smirked at the other. "I suggest you begin reading." Roxas practically jumped over the table to get to the textbook on the other side, he began to furiously refresh himself on the subject and within thirty minutes had finished, allowing Zexion to explain the subject and give him work to practice on. The next class would be an exam. Roxas took all of his textbooks back to his room once class was over.

Once inside his room he picked at his dinner as he began reading his Genetics text book, Zexion had added it to the list last minute. In fact with the exclusion of the history course Roxas had received a lot more textbooks from both math and science. He was also engaged in essay writing in his literature class. He was learning how to address letters and write in a professional manner like a scientist writing a medical journal or preparing their research for public viewing. He didn't like doing that sort of thing, but failed more in the creative aspects of writing. He found it hard to close his eyes and imagine anything other than just finishing his work and walking out the doors. Doors. The door opened and Axel stepped inside silently. Roxas didn't even notice his approach, until he was beside him. He gazed up at the tall redhead and in an instant Axel carefully got down beside him and put his arms around the smaller male and held him to his chest securely. Chills shot up Roxas' spine, he felt as if his warmth was being sucked from him. The action was needy and not in character for the redhead, causing the other to worry. He too brought his arms up and returned the gesture, letting his eyes slip closed and head lay snuggly in the crook of the redhead's neck. He wanted time to stop and allow him to open the other's mind and see what was hurting him. Roxas felt a hand rise from his back and tangle in his hair. Axel's cheek was pressed flush against the top of his head. They stayed like that for as long as they could. They weren't interrupted this time but both released simultaneously out of fear they would. Roxas stared up at the other, cheeks flushed; Axel gave him a small smile. His eyes weren't smiling.

"Is…is something wrong Axel?" Roxas asked after a moment.

"Nothing's wrong." Axel responded eyes shifting elsewhere, his skin had lost the glow it had earlier in the day. The redhead tried not to show pain as he got up from his place and sat back onto the couch. He took that moment to seat himself and relax back into the seat. Roxas sat down cautiously, eyes still on the other.

"If you say so." He sighed. Axel gave him a smile and rolled his eyes.

"Jesus you are nosey. Ever hear of curiosity killed the cat?"

The blond shrugged. "It's in my nature I suppose." The redhead laughed for a moment and then closed his eyes tight, sobering when the pain struck him.

Roxas saw the change in expression and furrowed his brow. He looked the other slowly for any sign of injury, he knew not to ask. "How is your office?" The blonde asked after awhile.

A smirk graced the redheads face, he slowly opened his eyes. "It's a standard office I suppose. It's just nice to finally have a space of my own."

"Can I see it?" the blonde chirped.

Axel thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Sure, I don't see why not." He slowly got up from his spot on the seat and walked over to the door, Roxas by his side. The blonde took the redhead's hand and they exited. At this time of night the halls were dimmed. Axel lead him down to the end of the hall, and stopped to unlock the door. After jingling the keys he was able to push the door open and enter flicking the lights on. Roxas smiled and walked around going to the redhead's leather chair behind the desk and sitting. After a moment of looking around he spun himself in the chair.

"This is pretty nice." He stated, stopping the motion and giving the other his attention. Axel had shut the door. Roxas smiled leaning forward and grabbing the picture frame on the desk looking at the small redhead boy next to the silver haired boy and a man he assumed was Ansem. "What's this?" Roxas asked laughing. "Is this you?" Axel walked over to the other side of the desk and looked down at the photo.

"Yeah," He gave a light laugh, "I was about seven then." Roxas smiled.

"Where are you?"

"Disney World I believe. It's a theme park."

The blonde shook his head. "That's really cool."

"Yeah it was." He walked back around the other side of the desk watching the blonde. He sat on the edge of the desk.

"What's this?" The blonde asked, the envelope from before was still stationed on the desk near the picture frame.

The redhead perked up smiling." Oh I forgot all about that. It's a letter I got today." The blonde extended his arm so the other could take it. "Nah, its fine, do you want to open it?"

"Sure," He gave the other a smile and began to rip open the flap that was stuck shut. The blonde pulled the paper out and unfolded it reading silently to himself for a moment. He gave it a confused look. The redhead simply smiled at his expression.

"What's it say?"

The blonde continued the stare at it for a moment before stating, "I don't understand."

Axel laughed lightly, wincing a bit and he leaned over and extended his hand to the blonde, "Here, hand it over," The blonde was reluctant to hand it over, but did. Axel took the paper in his hand, shaking his head at the other's actions, and then reading. It took less than a minute for him to freeze and his brows to furrow.

_We have been watching you, and we are not happy. You can disable us, and you can keep us quite for now but that doesn't change that fact that we are here and what you are doing is both disgusting and a sin against god and mankind. We demand you to stop all actions, all projects, and dispose of the products of them. We have ways to make you cooperate and if our demands are not met and the facility continues its disgusting procedures there will be consequences and we will act. _

There was a soft hand against Axel's leg. Roxas had come around the desk and was staring up at him with concerned blue eyes. "Axel? What's going on?" Axel didn't answer him still looking elsewhere, brow furrowed, the words echoing in his head. Axel put his arms around the other and hugged him for a brief moment. Roxas was growing frustrated. He didn't understand why no one told him anything and as an act of retaliation he took his hands and pushed against Axel's chest to get out of the hug. The redhead let out a yelp, hands immediately going to his ribs. Roxas gave him a wide eyed look, "Axel?" The redhead opened his eyes and looked at the other. Roxas bit his lip. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine." Axel said.

"No you're not!" The blonde's brows furrowed. "I'm not stupid. You're hurt! What happened? What's going on? What was that letter about?" The blonde had grasped the redhead shoulders lightly and was looking Axel directly in the eyes. The redhead, who was still slouched on the edge of the desk, just gave him a sad expression. The blonde then went for the others shirt lifting it a bit. Axel quickly took his hands and held the garment down giving him a warning look. "Axel, let me." The blue eyes were stern and they held contact with the green for a few minutes before the redhead shifted his gaze elsewhere.

"Fine." He said softly. His hands fell away and he put them behind him so he could lean back. Roxas gently pushed up the shirt bringing the left side up and gasping. He cautiously extended his hand out and let his finger tips touch the area, Axel let out a noise that sounded like a bitten back groan. The area had worsened since Axel last looked at it. It was swollen and a dark greenish purple. Roxas let his finger's trace the redhead's ribs again. The taller male hissed in pain when the fractured bone was touched.

"Sorry," The blonde mumbled softly. He then pulled his shirt down and looked up at the redhead sadly. Axel returned the stare. "Axel, what's going on?"

"There's a lot going on." The redhead responded.

"Does this," He motioned to the redhead's side, "Have anything to do with that letter?"

Axel shook his head. "No." Roxas nodded, he hung his head for a moment and then looked back to the other.

"You need to tell Ansem."

"I know," The redhead frowned.

"Go now." They held eye contact for a bit more and then he nodded.

"Okay." The pair stood from their place, Roxas taking Axel's hand they exited locking the office door and went down the hallway to the blonde's room. Roxas walked in turning and looking at the redhead in the doorway. He watched him sadly walking over and staring up at him. Axel's green eyes took in the other's blue. Roxas moved closer. He stood on the tips of his toes and reached, hand lightly resting on the other chest, he placed a light kiss on Axel. It only managed to reach his lower lip and chin and lasted for only a moment, but it was enough for the pair. It was all they needed. Roxas' face was flushed; the pair looked at each other for a moment before Axel bent down and wrapped Roxas in his arms. His fingers entangled in the blonde hair and he let his cheek rest atop the other's head.

"Be safe Axel." Roxas said softly, his fingers were trailing up the redhead's spin comfortingly. The redhead nodded. They released and the blonde turned to go into his room, looking back every so often to give him a reassuring smile. Axel shut the door, stood a moment, and then went to the elevator. Once the doors closed on him he felt his body slump back against the wall sliding till he met the floor. There was a stinging in his throat that he couldn't swallow back and he felt warm droplets roll down his cheeks. Axel couldn't suppress the whimpering cries that escaped him. He didn't try to. Licking his lips, holding his ribs, and clutching the letter.

҉

There was a steady knock from outside Ansem's door. The pale doctor was looking through a bit of paperwork pertaining to Xehnort's facility when the disturbance arose. He looked curiously at the door. It was roughly eight, most staff left around six save maintenance and security.

"Come in," His voice boomed, he was surprised to see Axel open the door. The man's countenance was distressed; he sent his superior a weary smile. Immediately Ansem sensed something was wrong. "Axel?" He inquired, "What is it?"

Axel was silent at first, simply handing the other the letter and coming around to the front of the desk and sitting in one of the chairs. "Riku got this from the mail today, but I think it was meant for you to read." The elder doctor's brow creased as he looked from the redhead to the paper now in his hand. He unfolded it and began to read. It took a moment before the male slammed the paper down and growled.

"Bastards," He hissed. "Was anyone hurt?"

"No." Axel said.

"Good. We are not giving in to this. You continue with you normal duties, just be cautious. I am taking this to the police. It is harassment!" The other male took a deep breath. "Is there anything else you need to tell me?" Axel bit his lip, debating on that answer. He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it, shaking his head no. The response made the elder male raise a brow. "What is it Axel." He stated firmly. The redhead sent him a nervous look which only tried the doctor's patients more. "Out with it!" He demanded.

"I was attacked today leaving Lab One." Ansem's eyes widened. He stood from his place.

"Are you injured?" The redhead shook his head.

"I think I broke a rib."

The elder doctor's face reddened with rage, "How dare they! How dare anyone harm you!" The man roared. "Did you see his face? Who was it!"

"He threatened that if I were to tell he would hurt Roxas."

"Nonsense, no one can touch him while I'm here. Besides, whether you tell me or not Axel, I will find out who did it. I can check the cameras, so say it."

He hung his head for a brief moment and then sighed. "Siax." The other doctors brow creased, he was furious.

The elder's eye widened. Rage was clear on his face, "He will rue the day he laid a hand upon what is mine. When I finish with him he won't practice medicine again on this side of the hemisphere." Ansem said darkly. He abruptly stood and came to the redhead who was frozen in his seat. The doctor, as gently as his rage would allow, pulled the male's shirt up and examine the area growling at the sight. "I will handle that immediately." Ansem pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Doctor Michaels? I need you to do me a favor it seems Axel is hurt. Will you do an X-ray for us?" He paused. "Thank you, we will be in shortly."


	14. Chapter 14

**I am so sorry guys. Between work and graduation I seriously had no time. Read this slow because I haven't written anything for the next chapter yet… But I have a story board xD so there are plans….**

_Repeat after me: Hello. How are you feeling today? Yes, everything is fine. Do you want to go somewhere? Sure, I enjoy that activity. The weather is very nice today. Tomorrow it will surely rain. No, I don't believe I met them before. I have been waiting for you. You are late._

The white queen moved diagonal, taking out the black knight and opening up the king to attack.

"Check." Ansem said softly. His voice was heavy and filled the room despite the lack of volume. The opponent looked over the board with a scowl. He had the choice of sacrificing his rook or moving his king to the side and taking the loss later. The game had become one of cat and mouse chasing the other around the board. "Your staff has been a problem for me." Ansem stated casually after a few minutes. Xehnort looked up at the other confused. He had moved his king to the left, one foot in the loop.

"What do you mean?" His voice was raspy and short.

"Doctor Saix seems to have attacked Axel, as well as threatened Roxas." He was matter-a-fact, never once glancing up from the game. "I will not tolerate it."

"Saix is known for his temper. Give him a few days to cool and everything will be fine." Xehnort stated. He returned his attention to the board.

Ansem sent the other a warning glare. "I will not play the fool and risk my own success to cut down a hanged man."

The golden eyes across the table narrowed. "What are you saying?"

Ansem moved. "I am asking your staff to leave my facility. I want them off the premises in a week. You may use whatever progress we have made, and they may work up until Wednesday, but I want them gone. Saix is not permitted back. Besides, he will be busy finding a good lawyer. He won't have time to help you." The other doctor's mouth was open, sputtering; he couldn't choke the words out. "He won't be able to show his face in this profession by the time I'm done with him." Ansem was calm. "Checkmate."

Xehnort stood abruptly; he glared at the other with hard golden eyes. Ansem held steady and gave the other a smirk. In a rage Xehnort flipped the board, pieces scattered everywhere. The white king and queen contacted the ground hard, bounced, and rolled under Ansem's seat.

"It's just a game." Ansem stated flatly.

The other male growled. "You know precisely that this isn't about that." Ansem shrugged. "You can't wait to see my facility and I belly up, can you?"

"I fail to see where these accusations are stemming from. If you recall, my facility welcomed you with open arms. It is the actions of one of your staff that ruined it for you." The other's glare never wavered. "And as I said before. I refuse to put my work in jeopardy to aid an old friend. I am no fool Xehnort."

"He is the best of my staff, my trump card! You can't expect me to sit here and let you screw my facility. To take him would set us back!"

"That is an awful lot to put into one basket."

"You bastard," Xehnort growled, "You're one to talk! What do you call that redhead or Xemnas even? Hypocrite. By taking one of them I could tie your hands up too." The other spat.

There was a pause. "Friends, I call them loyal friends and hard workers," Ansem smirked.

The other male glared at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but it closed and he simply slammed a fist down, "You are a sick man for referring to him as such, old friend." The other spat. The amber eyed male quickly pushed away from the other and out of the room. Ansem smirked. He made no move to stop him and simply leaned back in his chair, hand rubbing his temples. He took a moment before bending and collecting the king and queen from underneath him setting the king in his pocket. He rolled the queen between his fingers and sighed closing his eyes and thinking a moment with the pieces tight in his fist. Ansem pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Hello, Xaldin?" The man's burly voice came over the line in response. "Do me a favor and have security keep an eye on Doctor Axel today."

_҉_

Axel groaned his hand came to his side and he did his best to ease the itch underneath his rib's wrappings. He had been taken to the hospital and had the necessary x-rays done only to prove that, yes, he did indeed have a broken rib and a few cracked ones. There wasn't much to do to fix a broken rib, thus the redhead had to settle with simply keeping it safe, set, and letting it heal naturally. The pain put him on edge. It was a constant reminder that Saix was around and would harm him. He couldn't really relax, fearing that every door that opened and every footstep towards him would be the spiteful and enraged blue haired Doctor. Axel didn't fear the man physically, in fact on level terms he was sure he could take him on his own, but that was the problem. Most conflicts occurred with one party outnumbered by the other and Axel feared the worst. Axel had made it a point to go in and sit with Roxas for his lunch. He wasn't sure if Saix knew he had ratted him out yet or not. For all he knew the elder doctor had already expelled him; Xemnas would surely speak to Axel on the matter when the time arose. For now he was left wondering. His chest was tightly constricted with the bandaging. He had been informed by Doctor Michaels, Ansem's go to man at the neighboring hospital, that the bandages rarely had to be changed. There was a knock at the door. Axel lifted his eyes from his paperwork; he was filling out a form for a patient that would be in at two. The redhead stood, the window on the door revealed a smiling ebony haired women. Axel unlocked the door.

"Hey," The male greeted. He hadn't seen her since the first couple weeks she worked at the facility. "What brings you over here Tifa?"

The ebony haired woman gave him a soft smile, "Xemnas told me you needed help with the donor you took home. Well I wanted you to know that I am free and am willing to come over sometime and help you out."

The redhead grinned, "That's fantastic, are you free tonight?" She nodded. "Well I can leave here early and meet you home. When do you think you could come over?"

The ebony haired woman shrugged. "Probably about five tonight, I can stay till about eight."

"Awesome, that would really help us out. Oh, here. I will write my address for you." She continued to stand in the doorway with her soft smile as Axel turned around and took a piece of paper from his desk that was of no importance and scratch down his number. He turned and handed it to her. "Thank you for doing this for us."

She chuckled. "It's always nice to help out a friend." She paused a moment, "Are you doing anything now?" She peeked her head into his office.

The male stepped aside and allowed her entrance. "Not really, I am just filling out paperwork for a couple coming in around two."

"And how is that? Do you like this new line of work?"

Axel smiled, "I do, it's only my second day, the first wasn't that great," He said rolling his eyes and laughing a bit. She gave him a confused look, "But I feel like it's an easy routine I can keep going. I think I could even work on a project at this rate. It's pretty straight forward."

"Well that's great to hear," She raised her brow curiously, "What happened yesterday?"

The redhead bit his lip at the thought. After a moment he shrugged it off and smiled, "Saix beat the shit out of me." Tifa gasped.

"That's terrible." She stated. "Why?"

Axel shrugged, "I saved that donor you are going to help me with."

The ebony haired woman furrowed her brows taking a moment to think and relax. "They were going to kill him, weren't they?" Axel nodded. She nodded to herself, "That was brave of you." Axel shrugged again and the pair stared at each other. A flush rose to Tifa's cheeks. "I suppose I need to let you get back to work, Doctor. I'll see you around five." Axel nodded and she turned quickly and left. He shut the door behind her and went back to the desk and looked down at his stack of papers. He hadn't gotten much accomplished due to his day dreaming. Axel decided to pick up the stack and collect from the filing cabinet everything that pertained to his new patients to take down and get copied for online records. He stood and exited his room, locking the door and walking carefully. His ribs ached due to the pressure put on them by the wrappings but it was necessary and there was nothing he could do about it. Without them he was certain it would hurt worse. Axel winced but carried himself high none-the-less. He came to the desk in front of a plump grey headed woman with reading glasses pushed up her nose and flushed cheeks.

"Good Afternoon Martha."

The woman looked up from her screen and chirped a welcoming, "Well good afternoon to you too doctor." She smiled warmly. He held out his paperwork, which she looked over and then gave him a frown. "More work?"

"Sadly." The redhead chuckled. The woman sighed and accepted the papers.

"I'll phone you when I have them all copied. I probably won't get to it until after my break." Axel nodded.

"Completely understandable." She gave another smile and wave, Axel turned to leave. He took one last look at the lobby. There was a security guard over by the wall opposite him who gestured at him politely. A few patients waiting on the seat to be taken up to a lab or back to an office, Axel left quickly. The hallways weren't nearly so full of life. Back in his office he waited for his two o'clock appointment to commence. The pair that arrived were two young women who desired a little girl of their own. Axel had the necessary paperwork ready and waiting for the couple. He then had to schedule sample extraction for both females which, unfortunately, couldn't fit in on the same date.

҉

Roxas groaned looking down at his textbook. "I'm sorry professor." He finally blurted. "I really just can't do this today."

"What do you mean?" The professor's harsh voice asked. "You need to complete the problems Roxas. You only have about half an hour left as it is. Stop fooling around." His math professor was a stern, shriveled up man with a swooping bread of grey.

"I can't focus."

"If you need help, it is okay to ask."

The blonde furrowed his brows, sitting straighter. "I don't need help." He spat at the other.

"Then prove it," The man ordered. "I want these problems all done by the end of class.

Roxas let out a short annoyed sigh. "Fine." He growled after a moment redirecting his gaze back to the book. It was Calculus. Roxas understood math, but this took some amount of effort and focus. Focus was the last thing Roxas had today. It was Friday, which on any other week made no difference, but Roxas was excited to get out of the facility. He had hoped that Axel would take him to see animals like he had promised. Sure the redhead was hurt, but that was all the more reason to go out and enjoy time together. Coupled with the still lingering sensation of the other's lips regardless of the somber nature of the kiss. His skin was tingling with anticipation.

"Roxas?"

The blonde frowned at the harsh tone the other took. "I'm sorry Professor Yen Sid." He stated He looked back at his book and started to do a few problems.

Within minutes both the professor and student looked up and at each other. There was a loud commotion in the hallway.

҉

Axel had gotten a call around four thirty. He had finished up with his appointments, checked up on the fetus' in lab one, and was now going to collect his paperwork to properly file away. Axel came out of the office, sorting through his files. Everything was in order and he gave the ladies one last wave before parting and making his way down the hall and away from the lobby. He stopped in front of his door, reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. As he fumbled with it to open the door Axel heard what sounded like quickening footsteps behind him. He looked behind curiously. A fist collided with his face, catching the redhead off guard. His papers were sent flying, keys dropping with a clank. The redhead caught himself on the wall, hand going to his nose. He looked quickly to his attacker in time to see another fist coming for his face. Axel quickly reached with his left arm and grabbed it, directing the blow elsewhere. Pain shot down his side. The blue haired male growled with anger. Both could hear the shouts of a security guard. Lexaeus was bounding down the hall towards them. He was calling for back up. The door to the library opened and Axel could hear a confused soft voice. The orders of the professor joined the array of jumbled noise. Saix threw another punch which wasn't as easily deflected and landed dead center on the redhead's stomach, causing him to gasp for air, completely winded. He felt bile rise in his throat, as he leeched forward and dry heaved. The other took the opportunity to throw another punch but his arm was caught and secured behind him by the large security officer. Lexaeus pushed Saix firmly into the wall and then Xaldin, who had emerged from the other direction; help secure handcuffs on the offender. The scene in the hallway had caught the attention of many individuals and a few doctors had ventured out. One helped Axel steady to his feet, another fidgeted and began collected his paper work.

"Axel?" Roxas was behind a pair of doctors. His professor scowled at him and told him to go into his room, but he didn't listen. Axel's heart was pounding, he was still gasping.

"Roxas," He said breathlessly. He extended his arms to the other and Roxas pushed through the others to tightly secure his arms around the redhead. Axel let himself drop to his knees and burry his face in the other's shoulder as he worked on steadying his breathing.

"Axel, what's happening?" Roxas asked, the redhead lifted his face and looked at him. His whole side was stinging in pain, to the point where he could hardly form a thought. Saix was growling profanities at Axel. The pair of security guards were dragging him back to the exit door to take him to one of their police cars. Axel looked back to Roxas.

"I got into a fight." Roxas furrowed his brows.

"I can see that. I was more concerned about why."

The redhead chuckled, wincing again in pain. He managed to fake a smile. "I don't want to talk about it here and now." Axel said bringing his head back to rest on the other's shoulder. Roxas' hand rubbed the others back. Axel's shoulder was grabbed firmly. Axel snapped his eyes open and looked up at the silver haired doctor. "Xemnas." He said softly.

"At least move that to his room," The male bent down. "I would imagine some kind of press will come, Saix is a well known doctor. People like him aren't arrested often. I would clean yourself up. If Ansem allows it I'm sure they will take a statement from you." The redhead nodded.

"Okay, thank you Xemnas." Roxas had released the redhead and stepped back watching. Xemnas extended a hand down towards the other doctor. He took it and was pulled to his feet, biting back a groan and grabbing onto his ribs.

The male doctor furrowed his brows concerned. "Do you need that looked at again?"

The redhead shook his head. "No I don't, " He winced.

Xemnas came to his side and steadied him. "Let's have someone look at it again anyways."

Axel nodded. "Alright. I'm going to my office. Call me and tell me when I need to go down there."  
>"I'll just have Ansem call him to come here." The redhead shrugged.<p>

"Axel?" both doctors looked down at the blonde. "Can I go to your office and stay with you for a bit?"

"Don't you have class?" Xemnas asked coldly.

"Just let him stay."

The silver haired male shrugged. "He needs to be out before reporters come to harass us." Axel nodded. He bent down an collected his keys from the floor. One of the doctors handed him the stack of paper work.

"Thanks," Axel turned and unlocked his door. The blonde entered, holding the door for the other. Axel walked over and slumped in the chair, setting the paper down. He let out a sigh that turned into a breathless laugh. Roxas approached.

"You have had a lot of stress lately, haven't you?"

Axel snorted. "That's one way to put it."

Roxas was silent for a moment. He bit his lip. He knew that some of it was his fault. But he was still unsure of what. Some of it had to do with what happened at the park. Some of it was about the letter and most directly the blue haired man who he had gotten into a fight with. "What's going on Axel?"

"What do you mean?" Axel lazily lifted his head.

"What is stressing you out?"

The redhead let his head fall back. "I'm not allowed to be happy." He stated.

The blonde frowned. "Why? What do you mean? Who is keeping you from being happy?"

Axel chuckled. "I was happy when you woke up, now everything is a mess."

Roxas frowned. "But…why?"

"Because some people are bad. It's like what I told you in the park. Some people will hurt you just to hurt you. And right now there are people who want to hurt…" He looked up at the other pausing, "Me…"

Roxas furrowed his brows, "But what did you do to them?"

Axel chuckled, "Well Doctor Saix is pissed because I took home that donor, remember him?" the blonde nodded, "And everyone else is mad because I work here and some people think this place is terrible."

Roxas frowned again. "Is it?"

"No." The redhead smiled. "If this place was bad how did it make you?"

The blonde blushed he sheepishly smiled at the other. It took a moment before either spoke. "If I could Axel, I would get rid of all the people who want to hurt you."

Axel smiled. "Thank you."

It didn't take long for the press to come in. It was just a few reporters for medical themed tabloids and a few larger paper companies. Axel stayed in Roxas' room. Ansem had come down and informed Axel that he was keeping him out of the news and court since his statement could not be counted at valid, if the other party's lawyers dug deep enough. Axel understood and was relieved. The Facility was simply going to sue Saix for destruction of property. They would win due to the number of government support. Axel had to wait a bit for Doctor Michael's to show up. He had since moved to the blonde's room and was curled up on the couch with him. The television was on low and the sound hummed but neither acknowledged it. Roxas stayed pressed against the other, gently stroking his hair and soothing him. It was late. Axel couldn't leave till after his check up and when the reporters cleared. There was a knock at the door that sent the pair jumping. Ansem unlocked it, giving the two an odd look and allowing the doctor entrance.

"Hello again Axel." The elder male stated. He was a tall black haired man with large glasses he came to the side of the love seat.

"Hello doctor." Axel greeted. Roxas had moved to the other end. Ansem had shut the door and was now standing somewhere behind the trio.

"So I heard you got into another fight. It's unlike you to get into so much trouble." The elder male teased. Axel rolled his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure he got into a fight with me." The redhead laughed.

"I believe you. Now let see the damage. There is no point in doing x-rays; I can assess it from here." Axel slid his coat off, letting it hang over the back of the seat, and then carefully pulled his shirt over his head, biting back a hiss of pain. The doctor started to take the wrappings off and look over the area. Axel bit his lip firmly as the male prodded the area with his fingers before coming to a conclusion and rewrapping him. "It's not broken anymore than it has been." He stated. "If you want I can write a prescription for pain killers." Axel let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh god," He stated. "That would be wonderful."

"Well," Ansem thought a moment.

Axel furrowed his brows, turning around and looking at the elder male. "What do you mean. Get the drugs, I'm in fucking agony!"

Ansem looked at the redhead and then sighed, "Nothing too strong, doctor." The other nodded. Ansem sent him an apologetic look. "Knowing you if you couldn't feel it at all you would do something reckless and hurt yourself more." The redhead folded his arms.

The elder doctor's chuckled at the comment and Michaels went around and opened his briefcase. "I'll put this right in for you Ansem and I'll give you a call when it's filled." The elder male nodded.

"Good. We will all be here until everything clears."

"So you are taking him to court?" The darker male inquired.

"That is what I intend to do. I will get it done fast. It won't be drawn out like most court cases. In fact the latest it should last is to the end of next week. I want his medical license suspended." Axel raised a brow at the statement.

"You can push it through that quick?" Michaels questioned.

Ansem nodded, "I can." He now turned to address the pair on the couch. "I'm going to leave you two now. Behave, there are reporters and if one happens to come down here… wait… why don't you two go into Roxas' room. I'll turn the lights off out here. Axel, I will come tell you when you can leave."

Axel nodded, standing. "Sure." He went over and shook Doctor Michaels' hand. "Thank you doctor." Roxas had already stood and waved and was now headed to his room. Axel turned to follow after. The door shut and the pair was closed into the small white space. The blue screen that hung on the wall read, "Hello Roxas." The blonde went over and sat Indian style on his bed up by the pillows. The voices of the two doctors could be heard outside the door. It closed and Axel joined the other on the bed.

"Sorry you had to be all cooped up in here tonight."

"That's okay," Roxas chirped. "I'll be getting out tomorrow." He gave the other a smile. "Are you still taking me to see animals?"

The redhead frowned at the other. "Jeez Rox, I'd love to but… I really doubt they would allow it after today, and that letter from yester day." Roxas frowned.

"Why, we could be careful."

The redhead sighed. "Even if we were its not that simple."

"Fine." Roxas deflated his mood was shot, not that it was all that great before. Axel gave him an apologetic look. He then leaned back in his seat against the wall behind Roxas' bed.

"That's fine," Roxas spoke up finally. Axel startled and looked at the other. "I understand." He shrugged. "I sort of figured this would happen anyway." Axel gave him a weak smile. "But…" He paused, "Next weekend we can, right?"

The redhead gave him a soft smile and nodded. "I assume that it would be fine."

"And you're taking me to the zoo, right?"

Axel nodded. "Of course I will I wouldn't dream of taking you anywhere else. Tomorrow I will do my best to make it fun in here." The blonde smiled once more.

He grinned. "So what's going on with you? Are you feeling better?" He asked.

Axel shrugged. "Worse. I'm excited to get these pain killers."

"What are they?"

Axel chuckled. "They are exactly what they sound like. Something that takes away your pain. It's a pill." Roxas nodded

"Oh." It was another moment before he spoke again. "You know you need to be more careful, this is really serious. You can't just go around getting into trouble."

Axel let out a loud laugh. "I don't try to get into trouble. It lately just seems to find me." The blonde gave him a judging look and Axel laughed again.

"Fine," he stated, "I will be more careful."

"Good," Roxas said, smiling he relaxed back.

҉

At about eight the last of the reporters had given up on their pestering and went down town to investigate the enraged blue headed doctor at the police station. Axel bid the other a farewell and left Roxas to get to bed. He informed him that Tifa had been waiting at his home since five and that she was helping him and Riku out with the man he had taken home. He left the facility cautiously, exiting from the rear of the building and walking around to the parking lot. The drive back home was long and silent. His ribs ached with every moment. The shop was closed as expected and he took his keys and unlocked the door, relocking it shortly after and typing in a code on their security pad. As he ascended the stairs he could hear the soft murmur of voices on the inside. He opened the door quietly to be greeted with the face of Tifa. She had her bags in hand and was flushed retreating back. He laughed and they exchange the usual awkward 'sorry' one would say when running into another. Riku was patiently stationed at the counter. His upper torso was leaned over and his head was propped up lazily on his hands.

"Are you leaving?" Axel questioned as he entered, setting what he had on the floor. Tifa gave a quite nod and smile.

"Yes, I was just on my way out."

"I am really sorry that I couldn't make it here by five. I ran into some problems."

Tifa frowned. "No need to apologize. I heard about what happened. How are you holding up?" Axel went to answer but was interrupted by a lazy voice from behind the pair.

Riku had perked up, although very little, "What happened to you?"

Axel gave a light breathless laugh. "I got the shit kicked out of me." He stated.

It didn't take long for Riku to pick his head up and grin. "You're kidding!" He came around the counter and lean back against the surface. "Who did it? Was it some old geezer? Do you need a band-aid?" He teased.

"No Riku, it was doctor Siax, he about kicked in my rib cage." The silver male sobered, the grin plastered to his face melted to a furrowed look of concern which turned to anger. He came over to the redhead grabbing onto him and poking and feeling, eyes closed and brows knit. When reaching the redhead's ribs he let out and annoyed and angered noise and pulled his hands away from the tender area. The way he handled the other resembled an older brother checking his sibling after a playground accident. "I'm fine, Riku." Axel reassured. "Ansem is taking care of it."

"He better." The silver male growled. Tifa looked nervously from the blind man to the redhead for a moment before Axel turned back to the ebony woman. "I would love it if you stayed a while longer. I don't socialize with colleague much."

She thought for a moment and then gave him a soft smile. "Sure, it would be nice."

Riku opened the cabinet and got out a bottle and smelled it. He then took three glasses and filled them half way. Axel had taken his things back to his room so Riku wouldn't tumble over them in the morning, and Tifa had tucked hers under the counter. Riku handed her a glass and went to take a seat on the cold leather couch. She followed after, smelling what was in the cup and then looked to the male to ask what it contained. He automatically opened his mouth and said, "Bourbon, it's all we have, I believe."

She relaxed back and smiled. Her eyes scanned the room, "I didn't know Axel drank."

"I don't." The redhead had come down the hallway and now stood giving Riku a curious stare. "I drank once when I turned twenty one."

"Riku snorted. "You hardly had anything, you can't call that drinking." The silver haired male turned slightly and addressed Tifa, "He's a cheap drunk."

Axel blushed but made no comment instead he went to the counter and picked up the glass, looking inside for a moment before taking a sip. His face scrunched at the liquid. "So how's Roxas?" Riku's tone was more serious and both Tifa and Axel understood that he meant the blonde's reaction to the recent conflicts.

"He is fine." Axel stated. "He is worried about me, which is bad, but there isn't much you can do about it."

"Was he hurt?"

"Never," Axel cringed at the thought, "But Saix threaten me that he would hurt him."

Riku brought his glass to his lips and took a sip, "Ansem would have him cold in his grave before that man even had a chance to touch him."

"I know," the redhead nodded.

"Roxas has been very unfocused in school." Tifa chimed in.

The redhead furrowed his brows at that, "Really? He really wants to finish up, I'm surprised that he isn't hitting the books extra hard."

Tifa shrugged. "He is making good progress, but I can tell he isn't into it like he use to be."

"Do you blame him?" Riku cut in, "It's all he has ever done. I would be annoyed as hell." Axel let out a sigh and then took a sip from his cup.

"He wanted me to take him to the zoo this weekend. I feel bad that my troubles have caused him to not be able to."

"It's for the best." Tifa said, reassuring him with a smile.

"I know." Axel huffed, "I just feel bad."

"You would feel worse if something happened to him though." Riku cut in. Tifa nodded in agreement. Axel bit his lip and gave a sigh. The two of them were right.

҉

Roxas laid curled up to his pillow that sat length wise on the mattress. His eyes were open and blankly ahead looking at nothing in particular. The blue screen illuminated his room so that every object placed could be seen clearly with dark cast shadows telling each form. He had no thought going through his head, at least not a coherent one. Red images were buzzing around, he had an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach that made his heart feel as if it had dropped out of his chest and was laying on the bed beside him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Been awhile, hasn't it. Sorry for the lack of post but I had somehow lost my drive for this thus had to reconnect with it. I'll have you know that it worked and I am currently writing chapter 20. Yup, that does mean that I might have steady posts coming. It kinda will depend on my mood, the response I get to this and my homework load since I started college. Hope I haven't lost any readers, I edited this but if you find any imperfections please let me know. I would greatly appreciate that. Enjoy**

Chapter 15 (Saturday)

_Images, sounds, faces, smiles, words, walking, running, falling, crying, laughing, standing, Images, sounds, faces, smiles, words, crawling, hiding, running, crying, laughing, standing. _

_More Images. More sounds. Faces. Smiles. Words._

"Well, he's awake at least. And he seems to be more prepared than the other."

"That wasn't his fault." Aerith said. Her attention was on the man sitting on the edge of the bathtub. She roughly began to dry his mop of sandy blonde hair, which invoked childish giggles to erupt from him. Aerith laughed too, and muttered a few motherly words at the other, lifting the towel and looking down at the male's blue-green eyes.

Ansem smiled at the pair. "What do you think young man?"

The blonde looked at the doctor. "I don't know." He chirped, giggling shortly after at the nurse. She gave the doctor a playful look, causing him to sigh. He turned grabbed the pair of clothes that had been laid out on the sink and handed them to Aerith.

"I'm just surprised he isn't harmed. Xehnort is a cruel man." Aerith stated.

Ansem shrugged, "He did what was smart. He knew that there would be another lawsuit if he did." the sandy blonde looked up at them curiously. His hair stood every which way.

Aerith laughed. "Say, he kind of looks like that popular guitarist. He was big a couple years ago." Aerith pursed her lips, "What was his name again?"

Ansem cocked a brow at her. "I don't keep track of those silly fads. But it doesn't surprise me. This could be his insurance policy."

Aerith frowned. "His name was Demyx."

"Was? Guess his fall back plan didn't work out to well." Ansem added in with a slight chuckle, it earned a glare from the woman who turned from the doctor.

"That's what we'll call you." Aerith directed her attention back to the donor; she was trying to get his arms up to pull a shirt over his head. Once the garment was securely over his body she gave him a soft smile. "Do you like that?"

The male cocked his head. "Demyx?" He repeated. "It sounds strange."

"Get use to it boy." Ansem cut in, "That's your name."

"I'll call Axel, and have him pick him up." Aerith stated as she moved into the other room.

҉

There was a lone ray of sun that made its way through the textured glass window. It was chilly outside; the grass was coated in its first layer of frost, although none clung to the building. It remained untouched, white, and sterile. The blue screen was calling in its high pitched voice, starling its blonde companion in the process. Immediately the blonde's thoughts turned against the device in mad rush to silence it. The screen felt abandoned. Roxas laid himself back down on his bed, as his eyes fell closed he noticed himself and his thoughts turned to his dreams, none of which were at all clear in his memory. He then peeled himself up from his place and went into the bathroom where he stripped and ran the water for a cold shower. Inside he stood for a moment letting his hair soak through, the drops clinging to and chilling his skin causing each tiny hair to contract and raise. Roxas exhaled. He grabbed onto the knob and turned the temperature from cold to hot, cleaning his skin roughly. The water turned off and he stepped out. Grabbing a towel from the closet and drying himself, one around his waist and another draped over his head as he tried to dry his hair.

After dressing, Roxas exited his room and sat down at the table where a plate of breakfast waited for him. He began eating, wondering when Axel would be in and what they would do. He wasn't resuming class for the next few days and there was a stack of books available for him to read recreationally. Roxas looked at the clock and then back at the door. Axel would be along any moment. The blonde leaned forward and picked up a book looking at the cover. Roxas let out a sigh and sorted through the others, selecting a random one and reading. A couple minutes dragged by, he looked back to the door, then the clock and huffed. He then tried to relax back into his seat and read, this effort lasted an hour. Roxas stood from his place and stalked over to the door looking out at the hallway. There were a few people walking by. No one he knew, and if they happened to notice him standing like a dog waiting to be let loose from a cage, all they did was smile and wave. After pacing back and forth, the clock read eleven. It was Saturday, right? Axel had said he would be in, right? Roxas let out a frustrated groan when out of the blue he heard a familiar voice, slightly muffled by the glass barrier. Roxas turned around excited and went to the door. It was indeed Axel he was talking with the ebony haired woman whom Roxas called his professor, the pair walked right past his room into the elevator without so much as a passing glance. Roxas' grin melted into a tight lipped frown, he chewed the inside of his lip nervously and his brows knit together. After a moment of standing in some hope that they would return for him, he walked over and sat on the couch where he held in all of his frustration.

҉

"Thanks again for helping me out on such short notice." Axel stated as they neared Roxas' old bedroom. Neither was sure what state the donor would be in. Early that morning Ansem had received the donor from Xehnort's facility, and he wanted the redhead there to collect the male at once. Axel in turn recruited Tifa to aid him in the retrieval of the donor since the last time wasn't an easy task. As they reached the door they exchanged nervous looks. Axel turned the handle revealing a younger boy sitting impatiently on the bed. When he looked at the pair his face sprouted into a large grin and he jumped up from his place to greet the others excitedly.

"Hello. My name is Demyx. What are your names?" He had closed the gap between him and the strangers in a matter of seconds, turning from the redhead to the ebony woman so quick Axel was surprised he didn't get whiplash.

Axel looked the male over and his brows creased, his gaze went to Tifa, who didn't seem phased by the boy before them what so ever. "Um…I am Axel," He stated a few minutes after.

"And my name is Tifa," she added quietly.

"Those are great names!" He chirped, "I got my name yesterday. I'm a day old today." He turned to Axel, "When did you get your name? A big scary old guy gave me mine. Did he give yours too?" Axel looked to Tifa with a shocked expression.

"Why is he able to talk and…. And move even." He asked. The blonde was still chatting away.

"There is a program at their facility to rehabilitate donors and prepare them for normal society. He went through it. In all honesty I'm surprised considering the facility relations..." As the pair spoke the donor, Demyx, never once stopped buzzing on about his name. Axel raised his eyebrows at the newfound information.

Demyx continued to go on and on about all the names he had heard so far, stating that he liked them all, but he was satisfied with his name. Also that he didn't like it at first but it grew on him and now thought it was greatest name. "The only name I have heard so far that I don't like is the name Lucy. Lucy. Say it guys. I just don't like it, it feels funny on my tongue. I feel like she should have a cool name like, sha-zame! Or mega-awesome-person. Can that be a name?" he chuckled, "And I really-"

"Demyx." Axel said.

"- like her but I mean come on. She must have been being lazy when she came up with that name-"

"Demyx." Axel called again trying to get the other's attention. Both he and Tifa couldn't figure out if the boy was taking to them or rather himself since he was looking off at the ceiling rather than the pair he addressed.

"But, hey, I'm not going to be the one to tell her that her name sucks. She is just going to have to figure it out on her own, you know what I mean?"

"Demyx!" Axel yelled the male in front of them stopped speaking and looked at the redhead confused.

"Yes Axel?"

Axel couldn't tell if he needed to take a deep breath out of annoyance, or laugh at the other. Instead he calmly stated, "I am here to take you home."

"Oh!" Demyx smiled and about jumped into the air like a giddy teenage girl, "Home!? I love home." His smile faltered. "What is home?"

Tifa let out a chuckle and Axel shook his head with a smile. "It's where you are going to live."

"Do I get to live with you?" The sandy blonde asked, he was still smiling.

"Yes Demyx." The other stated. He let out a breathless laugh. "Now come out here so we can go." Since the pair had never left the doorway Axel simply stepped aside so that the donor had room to exit.

The blonde looked nervously at them and then frowned. "Out there?" He looked at the redhead and the darker headed woman, uncertain of their command. He tried to stretch his neck and look around the doorframe. "What's out there?" Demyx looked at the redhead. "It seems kind of scary. Don't you think?"

"No it's fine out here." Axel reassured. "And we will be here the whole time. Come on." The sandy blonde nervously stepped out from his room. Axel walked in to grab the boy's file on the counter, and close the door. There were no possessions to gather save the clip board and paper, all he had were the baggy closes hanging from his pale skin. Demyx looked to the two adults for reassurance. Axel led them back to the elevator looking over the information. "According to this you are twenty five." The sandy blonde frowned.

"Hours old?"

"Years old." Axel corrected.

"Oh," The blonde responded. Axel clicked the elevator button causing the door to open, and making the sandy blonde jump back and let out a scream.

"Its fine Demyx, we are right here, just step inside." Tifa offered him her hand which he took quickly. She led him inside. The door closed upon the trio and they were lowered down to the first floor. Demyx took deep breaths clutching Tifa's hand with an iron grip. As the elevator reached the first floor he about bolted out the doors. Demyx looked back behind him upon exiting and examined the glass room for all of two seconds. Axel came out of the elevator, Tifa on his heels. They then took a moment to calm him down before leading him back down the hall to go outside. Demyx squeezed the redhead's hand as the door opened and he made his first step out onto the concrete. They stood in the building's shadow and waited for a moment. When Demyx was confident enough he took a few more steps, and allowed himself to be taken to the car where he was buckled up in the back seat. Axel slid into the driver's seat, Tifa in the passenger side, and Axel put the key in the ignition backing up carefully.

They were pulling out of the facility parking lot when Axel heard the sandy blonde awkwardly ask. "Guys, why was there a little boy locked in that glass room?" Axel slammed on the breaks.

҉

Roxas watched Axel, his professor and the other male walk down the hallway with a betrayed feeling as they disappear. The other blonde had noticed him, yet no one even gave him a smile, or a simple hello. Roxas turned from the door and went over to sit on the couch alone. He was bored, lonely and frustrated. He rested his head in his hands. After a few moments he decided to go in and lay down in his bed, holding close the bear he had gotten the last time he was out of his cage. It didn't take long for him to hear the sound of the door open. There was some mumbling from the other room and Roxas could hear the sounds of footsteps walking over to his door. He sat up in bed and whipped his tears. The knob turned and Axel pushed the door open and peeked in. Seeing that Roxas wasn't asleep he pushed the door open all the way, greeted by the glare of the other.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?" Axel frowned; he came into the room and sat at the foot of the other's bed.

Roxas lifted his body form the bed and sat. He sent him a sad look, trying to hold what was left of his glare without crying. "You were supposed to come see me. I thought we would be together all day. I've been waiting for you." Axel gave him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry. Ansem got the other donor so I was distracted with picking him up. Tifa is going to help me and Riku get him settled." Roxas furrowed his brows.

"But I'm all alone in here." Axel frowned and leaned forward, extended his arms out for the other. Roxas moved closer and let himself be pulled into a hug. "Are you staying with me now?"

"I can't." Axel stated. "I have those other two waiting in the car."

The blonde paused, "Fine," Roxas stated. His tone was stern and unhappy. He tugged his body away from the redhead. "Go. I don't need you in here."

"Rox, don't be like that."

"Go Axel. You have more important things to do." He turned to face away from the redhead.

Axel gave a sigh and then stood from his place on the bed. "I'm sorry." Roxas didn't say anything. He kept turned away until he heard the redhead leave the room and the glass door of his cage shut.

҉

Riku didn't have much to say about the new comer. In fact, it was more along the lines of, he couldn't get a word in. They hadn't even had the chance to get Demyx upstairs. He came bouncing into the shop behind Axel and immediately began asking every customer what their names were only to inform them that he was Demyx. Some of the elder customers played nice, but most took their food and left quickly, leaving Riku to be Demyx's next victim.

"Hello I'm Demyx, what's your name? Are you a friend of Axel's? Axel is nice I like him. I got my name yesterday, how long have you had yours? Yup, I've been Demyx for a whole day now, that's a long time. I'm a day old but that Axel guys says I'm twenty five years old. A year is three hundred something days... He's crazy."

Riku's immediate reaction was a look that said, 'is this guy for real?' he grabbed onto the edge of the counter. "Um…" He said, collecting his thought, "Axel, who is your friend here?"

Axel hadn't yet had the opportunity to tell his roommate about their new house mate, and gave a nervous laughed and informed, "He is going to be our new roommate."

"I was afraid you would say that." Riku deadpanned. He let out a long sigh.

"I'm going to take him up to meet the other." Axel told Riku.

"The 'other'?"Demyx chirped excitedly. "Who is that? Who is the 'other'?" He let out a squeal of excitement and followed after Axel who led the way to the stairs, Riku rolled his eyes.

"Fucking fantastic." He muttered under his breath.

Axel opened up the door to find the blonde donor sitting casually on the couch with a cup in his hand watching the television. He turned to look at Axel when he arrived, but did a double take when seeing the other donor at Axel's side. Demyx cheerfully waved at him, walking up and beginning his usual introduction and inquiring upon the other male's name. The blonde donor started blankly at him. The lack of answer caused the other to droop. "Why won't you answer me, what's your name?" Demyx continued to frown at the other.

"He can't talk very much Demyx." Tifa stated as she entered behind Axel. "He is still learning. He didn't get taught all of what you did before he woke up." Axel looked at her curiously.

"Well what's his name?"

"He doesn't have one." Axel told him. "No one has ever given him one."

"That's not true, when you're not around I call him shit head," Riku had come up the stairs behind them and donned a smug smile. Axel just rolled his eyes.

"But that's terrible. My name is the best thing anyone has ever given me." He looked back down at the blonde donor. "I'll give you a name." Demyx promised to the blonde male. The statement earned a smile from the other.

Tifa stayed the whole day to help with the blonde who could walk around a little for short periods of time and could speak although he rarely did out of his own personal choice. Demyx stayed right there next to the other donor, feeling an odd sort of responsibility and connection to him. He had mellowed out and now talked less. He listened to Tifa and helped to encourage his new friend to speak with them.

҉

After a few hours shut up in his room Roxas came out to find a plate for food left from lunch. Apparently Aerith or one of the other nurses had come in during that time. He spent the rest of his day thinking of reasons to be angry with the redhead, and listened to the monotone drabble of the television. At about four o'clock Xemnas walked by and upon seeing the blonde alone, entered the room. "I thought for sure Axel would be in here all day." Xemnas stated as he walked in, he went to the side of the couch.

"Me too," Roxas said rolling his eyes. Xemnas looked at him a moment and then sighed sitting down.

"Why isn't he?"

Roxas shrugged, never once talking his eyes off the television. "He's with Professor Tifa, taking care of a new donor I guess."

"Oh." Xemnas sighed. "Sometimes things happen Roxas. There is no need to become upset about them, besides, after yesterday he is probably exhausted. I wouldn't be surprised if he is resting at home." The blonde looked at the silver doctor curiously. "What's important is to make use of the time you have now. I assume he will be doing more of the same tomorrow. How about you get back to studying tomorrow? It would give you something to do." Roxas looked at Xemnas sadly and let out a sigh.

"Yes doctor. That probably would be for the best."

"Excellent." Xemnas gave him something close to a smile. "Before you know it this will be all done. Then maybe you could do more fun things. Maybe Ansem would let you study under Axel and I." Roxas looked at the man.

"And work here?" Xemnas nodded. Roxas just looked down at the floor thinking about it for a minute. "Okay." He said. Xemnas looked him over and nodded.

"Good." He got up from his place, "Enjoy the rest of your day." He left the room. Roxas stayed still, he stayed silent. He could hear the sound of footsteps carrying the doctor away. He closed his eyes and wished to go somewhere different. He imagined himself under a tree.

"Roxas?" There was a hand on his shoulder, shaking him lightly. The television was still humming sound. "Roxas what are you doing out here? Hold on, I'll take you to bed." Roxas groggily opened his eyes. He yawned which caused the other to pause. The blonde lazily looked the other up and down, realizing it was Axel who was before him.

"I thought you were busy." Roxas stated a hint of anger still in his sleepy voice.

"I was, but its late now. I came by to get my pills and stopped in to see you." Roxas didn't respond. Axel let out an annoyed sigh, "Come on Rox, don't be mad at me. Things just came up… look, tomorrow I will be in here all day with you and we can do a whole bunch of fun stuff."

Roxas frowned. "Xemnas came in. I'm going to have classes tomorrow."

Axel's brow creased, he though a moment. "I'll make it up to you somehow Roxas. I really am sorry. They just needed me."

"Don't worry about it Axel. I get it."

"You do?" Axel looked at the other he couldn't tell if he was being honest and apologetic or sarcastic.

"Yeah," Roxas stated. "And to be honest, I'm kind of busy right now, so why don't you go. I'm sure you are needed back at home anyways."

Axel furrowed his brow. "Roxas come on, don't be like that."

"Like what? I'm just being honest." The blonde looked at him harshly.

"Well fine then, if that's how you are going to be, I will leave." Axel stood.

"Good I don't want you here." Roxas snapped back. He got up from his place as well, looking over the redhead before turning abruptly and going to his room, slamming the door in his wake. Axel sent a glare in the other direction and then paused, letting the expression slip to one of regret. He walked over to the door, placing a hand on it, and reached for the knob when he heard a muffled sobbing from inside. Axel left his forehead rest on the door, scolding himself mentally.

"Roxas?" Axel called. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't come in. I was just so busy I forgot. I'm here now though. Come on. Let's talk." There was silence from the other side and then a hard thud against the door as if he had thrown something. "Roxas. I'm coming in."

"Just go away." Roxas choked out. Axel closed his eyes, biting his lip as he contemplated what he should do. The redhead turned the knob and entered the room looking over the form the bed. He closed the distance between them, sitting and reaching for the other. The response received was cold and unwelcoming as the blonde thrashed, trying to push from the redheaded male. Axel bit his lip as the other accidently made contact with his sore side and pulled him roughly to his chest, holding him firmly. Roxas' tears only quickened and the redhead set his cheek on top the others head.

"When you're ready to talk about this. Let me know." He said softly.

҉

The two males were tucked into Riku's bed, but not by Riku's choice. Both Riku and Axel decided it would be okay if they gave the two that bedroom and later in the week they would combine all of Riku's belongings into Axel's room. Tifa had collected her things.

"So how much do we owe you?" Riku asked as the two males came back out to join her.

"Its fine, it's on the house. I enjoyed it." She gave the redhead a smile.

Are you sure there isn't any way we can repay you?" Axel inquired. The woman gave him a playful look.

"I'll let you know if I think of anything, doctor." She said slowly, smiling at the redhead. She stayed still a moment looking the other over as if she was thinking about something, and then waved. "I'll see you both soon." She stated. Turning and exiting, the door shut behind her.

Riku stood shaking his head. He let out a sigh. Axel looked toward the other perplexed. "What is it Riku?"

"Roxy better watch out," He stated with a shrug.

The redhead furrowed his brows, "What do you mean?"

"She likes you." Riku stated. "You can hear it in the tone of her voice." Axel blushed.

"That's ridiculous," Axel stated, shrugging the suggestion off with slight annoyance.

"Deny it if you will but it's all there, you know it." Axel was speechless.

"Riku, she does not, we are colleagues!"

"Do you think that stops women?" He let out a laugh. "You can be so naïve." Axel just sent the other a glare. "Anyways." Riku let out a yawn. "Sora's coming up tonight, and since you filled my bed with shit head and retard, we are going to take yours. You don't mind sleeping on the couch tonight, do you buddy." Axel looked at him curiously, "Thanks a bunch, we will keep the noise down for you." Riku left to go fix up Axel's bed room, leaving the redhead standing with a look of disgust.

҉

Demyx laid in bed restlessly. He had no concept of sleep seeing as he had never had to do it before, and could not understand how the blonde next to him could lay so still and quiet with his eyes closed for so long. Apparently sleeping was something that he would have to experience by surprise, but that wasn't helping him now. He gave a short sigh, and looked at the other curiously. "Hey." He said, waiting a moment, looking at the other expectantly. His brow creased at the lack of response. "Hey, what are you doing?" He said a little louder under the impression that he had simply not been herd. Demyx poked him lightly. The male beside him opened his eyes groggily and looked at the other confused. Demyx stared back. "What are you doing?" he repeated. The blonde didn't say anything, and simply cocked a brow at the other. Demyx bit his lip, the silence he received made him nervous. "Um… Well how about we come up with your name? I'm bored." The blonde beside him looked at the ceiling for a moment and let out a soft sigh before looking back and giving a short nod. Though annoyed he had no choice but to deal with the blonde. "Hey, how about Steve?" the other donor's face never changed, making the younger of the pair recoil, "Uh… Victor?" He paused. "Arthur, Hayman, John?" He received nothing but a blank, unwavering stare. Demyx frowned at him. He let his head rest back on the pillow, eyes on the ceiling. "But I can't think of anything else. Besides, you don't say anything. How am I supposed to know what you like?" The blonde mumbled. The other beside him let out a long, drawn out sigh as if he was expelling all the air from his body.

"Luxord." Came a dry, unused, raspy voice.

Demyx sat up again and looked at the other beside him. The other returned the gaze. "Luxord?" He questioned. The other simply gave a sure nod. "Well, I suppose that if that's what you want its fine but… you can't change it. Once it's your name, it's there forever."

"I'm aware," He managed to choke out. He gave a cough as he nodded.

"Okay." Demyx smiled at him. Once the blonde recomposed himself he quickly turned to face away from the other, in attempts to sleep. Demyx smiled, laid back and mimicked the other. Closing his eyes and waiting. Hoping something would happen and the sun would come up. He fell asleep quickly.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys, thanks for holding in there. Tell you what, art school is hard stuff. Anyways, as always I'm not sure when my next update will be. I am considering if I should or shouldn't remove it from here or leave it. Thing is if I don't get to it for awhile I don't want it sitting here and collecting dust… ah well, I guess we'll see? Haha enjoy. And if you find a typo be a dear and let me know… In any note I seem to have about nine views a day (on average) this update is for you guys, and everyone who reviewed I love you guys.**

_The sun was setting, plunging the world back to a twilight state where purple and blue stained the sky. I was still stuck there, sitting on the beach with the one beside me, the other behind me, and the yellow bird somewhere close by, watching. The water of the ocean stroked the beach in short choppy waves, hitting and then mixing with the others, rolling into shore. I took a deep breath. I was beginning to fear that my legs were too weak. I hadn't stood since before I came here. Could my legs support the weight forced above them? In a way I feared to try it. And yet somewhere deep down I knew I could stand… if I really wanted to._

It was as if he had been laying there forever. The blue light seemed more harsh than normal. The room was hot, muggy, the air was stifling. Roxas sat up in his bed. It was a night of tossing and turning. Resting his thoughts only to wake up to a buzzing mind. He let out a frustrated groan and rolled over slamming his fist into his pillow. He was angry, and at the same time felt completely pathetic for his anger. There was a pressure in his chest that had been pressing him down all night, he wondered now if it had always been there and he was just finally agitated enough to notice. The blonde rolled onto his back, his eyes opened and took in the blue room. Everything was dark. He sat up; looking around at the area and seeing his bear he threw to the floor earlier. He turned his nose up to it and then promptly dropped himself back down on the bed and faced the wall pouting and glaring at nothing. He took a few minutes and his expression softened. Taking a deep breath and tried to clear his anger from his head. What confused him most was that he wasn't exactly sure why he was angry. His hurt ran deeper, yet all he could do was think of the redheaded doctor and feel anger seep into him. He let out a sigh and tried to keep his eyes closed; hoping sleep would take him again. Moments later he stood to collect the bear lying at the door. He got into bed with the toy pressed tight against his chest, his arms wrapping it securely and closed his eyes.

The morning came quickly. The blue screen was still ornery and screamed at his companion to wake him promptly. Roxas pulled himself from his bed, confused slightly for a brief moment and then realized that he was commencing classes. He stood from his place and clicked the off button on the screen before going to shower. His routine was the same as any other, but today he dragged it out. Letting the water spray onto his face and trickle down his legs. Washing every inch of himself again and again in hopes to further prolong the routine and avoid what was inevitably coming. The water turned off and he stepped out dripping. Drying himself and then eventually making his way out of his bedroom where Nurse Xion was waiting. She gave him a soft smile.

"You sure are running late today Roxas." The blonde simply shrugged at her comment. He never gave her a look and sat immediately on the couch to see what he was to eat. She frowned. "Hurry up and eat. I need to get you to class soon." Roxas sighed.

"What's lined up for today?"

Xion sent him a strange look, hesitating then speaking. "You will begin with math from eight thirty to eleven thirty, then you will take an early lunch. After you have gym from noon till two, after is science till five." Roxas nodded and then paused.

"What about my literature class?" He turned and gave her a curious look.

The nurse smiled, "She called for today off. She is aiding Doctor Axel today." Roxas nodded. He wasn't very hungry.

҉

Axel rolled over on the couch, his skin was sticking uncomfortably and he let out a groan. He had been sleeping off and on due to the sounds coming from his bedroom. His only concern was that Riku cleaned up after himself and didn't leave him with the dirty work. Now that was no longer the problem. He could hear a chattering in the bedroom from a certain sandy blonde. It was seven thirty, not an ideal time to be waking up on your day off. The door to Riku's bedroom opened and Axel herd the pad of heavier feet exit. The other blonde donor came out, stopped and looked at the redhead lying on his couch. Axel's eyes were still closed so he didn't see the other roll his eyes. He then turned and made his way to the fridge where he shuffled threw, making a few bottles jingle. Demyx came out after, Axel could tell by the quick fluttery steps and a giggle as he reached the end of the hall, probably directed at Axel. He whispered something at the blonde, and giggled again. Axel knew that soon he would have to sit up and alert them that he was awake and annoyed at the early disturbance. He let out a sigh that startled both males in the kitchen and sat up. Demyx automatically beamed him a smile and waved rapidly at him.  
>"Good morning!" He chirped. Axel looked at him, and tried to smile, the attempt falling flat.<p>

"Morning." He mumbled.

Demyx giggled. "Does your hair always look like that in the morning?" Axel gave a slight blush and ran his finger through his long, tangled crimson locks.

"I don't know. I guess?" He grumped, but Demyx didn't mind.

"So," He stated back towards the other. "Do you have anything to eat around here? Can you make me food?" The other blonde donor gave him a smirk. Axel was not amused. "Please." Demyx asked standing in the kitchen. "I'm so hungry… I think I could eat a whole chicken!" Axel raised a brow to him and then let out a sigh.

"Alright. But this is a onetime only deal. Tomorrow have Riku do it." Demyx smile and nodded.

"Got it captain!" Axel took a deep breath; he wasn't one for mornings and could see how the smaller blonde could potentially drive him to murder. The redhead got into the cabinet and retrieved a bowl and the proper ingredients for some instant pancakes. The blonde donor had taken the whole carton of orange juice and was seating himself to watch a new episode of his favorite series about the LA night life. Demyx was excitedly sitting on the barstool across from the stove asking every five minutes if the food was finished yet. There was chatter that came from Axel's room; no doubt Demyx's voice paired with the television had wakened Riku. A few minutes later Axel could hear the shower turn on. Axel grumbled a few profanities under his breath and went to a cupboard and retrieved a plate, removing the pancakes from the hot pan and poured new batter on. He figured the other two would join them and expect food. Demyx let out a joyful shriek as Axel then turned and got Demyx a separate plate, setting two of the pancakes onto it and depositing them in front of him.

"Thank you!" Demyx said in a sing-song tone. Axel nodded, returning to his work at the stove. Demyx filled his mouth full of food and beamed at the redhead. "Did I tell you that he has a name now?" Demyx pointed across the room at the blonde on the couch, who looked over with annoyance.

Axel perked up at that, although not by much, and answered in a sarcastic tone one would take when acknowledging an annoying child. "No kidding, what is it?" Demyx gave him a smile, he quickly whipped his head round, "Luxord, can I tell him or do you want to?" Luxord rolled his eyes and Axel smiled devilishly. "His name is Luxord!" Demyx chirped after a few silent minutes waiting for the other's reply.

"Luxord, eh?" Axel said in a teasing tone. "Isn't that name from one of those pirate shows you watch?"

Luxord tensed a bit, he never removed his eyes from the screen. "Aye."

Axel was taken aback by the male's voice. He had never once heard him speak and although the answer was raspy, there was no mistaking how deep and strong it was. "Aye? Are you a pirate?" Luxord looked back at him coldly for a moment and then turned his attention back to the television. The redhead chuckled and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the sound of another voice.

"It's good to know that you finally found your proper place Axel, in the kitchen like all the other good women, feeding the men and children." Riku slunk up to the counter, leaning and smirking at the redhead. Axel was not amused.

"I just though you needed a day off dear." He rolled his eyes, Sora, who had come out as well giggled a bit. Riku smirked and pulled a seat and sat down.

"So is your girlfriend coming over today?"

Axel flipped a pancake, "For one, she isn't my girl friend, and in all honesty I don't know. I can't remember if she said she was or not." Riku shook his head.

"Well I think you need to get your ass in the shower before the lady makes her appearance, don't you agree? " Axel let out a sigh.

"Yes mom." Axel turned off the stove and piled the rest onto a plate. He took enough plates out and set them in front of Riku and Sora. "Luxord, do you want any?" The male on the couch looked back at them and nodded his head 'No'. Axel shrugged and set the plate down taking some for himself. Riku cocked a brow.

"Luxord?" he questioned.

"Yeah, he picked it out!" Demyx said with a mouth full of food. Riku shrugged and felt his way to the plate, taking two. They all ate in silence for about ten minutes when there came a knock on their door. Axel looked over his shoulder, a bit confused before standing and going to the door. He opened it coming face to face with Tifa who smiled at him.

"Sorry, the door was unlocked so I let myself in down there."

"Unlocked," Axel gave Riku a stern look, "Riku you didn't lock it last night?"

"I swear I did," Axel simply rolled his eyes.

"Well we are glad to see you."

"I'm not." Riku said, Tifa giggled at him. Axel turned and went back to the counter to finish eating. Tifa set her things down and took off her shoes. "Want some breakfast?"

"No thank you." She paused. "So after this I think we are in the clear."

"You think so?" Axel cocked his head and looked from her to the blonde male.

She nodded. "He can talk, he just doesn't."

"Yeah, I suppose your right, he did answer me."

Tifa looked at him surprised, "Really? What did he say?"

"He said, 'Aye'," Tifa raised he brows and looked over at the male on the couch, giggling a little. Luxord was blushing but made a point to make no eye contact with them. "He has a name now too." Axel added.

Tifa gave a smile, "That's excellent," She looked to the blonde male. "What is your name?"

He glance back, Tifa just gave him a smile waiting for his answer. "Luxord," he said after a few minutes, though his voice was raspy, he had what sounded to be a bit of an accent which most closely resembled a Scotsman.

"That's lovely ," Tifa smiled at him.

Axel sat back and smiled at the two, chewing the last bit of his food. He threw his arms up in the air and stretched, giving a yawn when his mouth was clear. The ebony haired woman giggled at him, causing Riku to snicker. "Axel looked to the silver headed male and then stood. "I'm going to go shower, I'll be right back you guys."

"Please, hurry dear or I'll have to come in and check on you. You know how worried I get." Riku said dramatically which earned a light laugh from both Sora and Demyx.

Tifa gave them a look and rolled her eyes playfully. "We will be waiting." She said. Axel shook his head and walked down the hall leaving the others behind closed doors. Axel let out a playful laugh, pausing and looking at his bed, which was torn apart. He then went to the window and stared out a moment, snapping out of a daydream and beginning to peel off his clothes, dropping them where he stood. He opened the bathroom door and flicked on the light, stepping in and shutting the door. He bent to run the water, making sure it was warm before turning on the shower and stepping in to wash his face. The water dripped down off his head, clinging to his skin and slipped down his legs. He turned the shower off, drying his hair first with a towel he grabbed, it had been draped over the towel rack from the previous day. He stepped out, drying his body and then tied the towel around his waist. Axel entered his bedroom where he put on clean clothes and then decided to walk back out and join the group.

When Axel came out he noticed that the room lacked Riku and Sora. There was only Tifa and Luxord sitting on the couch, the ebony woman was proceeding to ask him questions to get him to speak while he did his best to only reply with one word answers, it was a game to him. "Where did everyone go?" Axel asked, he was ran his fingers through a tangle in the back of his hair. Tifa looked over at him and gave him a warm smile.

"Riku asked Demyx if he wanted to go to work with them. He about jumped through the ceiling." She laughed.

"Jesus," Axel chuckled. "Riku got himself in deep I guess. I give that about an hour, two if Riku is patient today." The pair laughed, even Luxord spared a giggle. Tifa scooted over on the couch and patted the seat next to her. Axel came over and sat down, leaning forward to see the other male. "So how is everything going?" He looked from Luxord to Tifa.

Luxord cleared his throat and then gave a hoarse, "Good."

"Everything is fine. I think he has been playing us." Luxord gave a sly smile. He was back to watching television.

Axel looked at the smug look that crossed the blonde's face and then to Tifa. "So he is good. We just need to get him to talk?"

"Correct."

"Well that's great. And you won't have to haul yourself over here every morning." The ebony woman frowned. Axel chuckled, "Now you can come over on a friendly basis, not for work." Her face relit.

"Yes, I would like that." She blushed slightly.

"Good," Axel said as he stood to stand. "I'm going to go see what the guys are doing downstairs, and if they need a hand with Demyx." Axel smirked, the woman just laughed.

"That's a good idea, he is a handful."

"More like an earful." Luxord said quietly. The other two looked at him and then laughed.

"Very true." Axel said. He left the pair and headed towards the kitchen.

҉

Roxas drummed his fingers on the desk as he read over his physics text book. Each word appeared as black lines on a white page, the words empty and echoing in his head. He went through the motions but didn't even attempt to comprehend. He had been on the same page for five minutes, the whole time the professor watched him curiously.

"Roxas?" he questioned. The blonde's blue eyes remained glued to the page before him, he had his hand on his left cheek to prop up his head. "Roxas?" The professor asked again a bit louder. Roxas picked his eyes up from the paper and looked at the other male, face sad and confused. Zexion stared at the other for a moment. "What's wrong?" he finally asked.

Roxas quickly scrunched his face in an act to hold back tears. He directed his gaze back down and away from the other. "Nothing." He managed to choke out. Zexion looked at him and sighed.

"How about we finish for the day." The blonde met the others gaze shocked, his face still frowned but a bit less than before. Zexion stood. "Come on." He said. He walked from the table. Roxas looked at him confused, then stood quickly shutting his book and ran to catch up. Once beside him he looked up at the male and then forward at the door. Zexion went to the library exit door and pushed it open, making way for Roxas to step out. He wasn't wearing shoes. His socked feet stepped down into the wet grass, looking at the lawn few scattered trees and randomly planted flowers. He took a few steps out of the shadow of the blinding and into the blinding bright sun. His eyes took a few moments to adjust and he could feel the sun already begin to burn his paper white skin. Roxas heard the doors shut behind him and looked back to see the professor sitting against the building.

"Stay close, I don't want to lose my job." Roxas nodded and went to walk to the tree. He circled it and looked up. It was short, its bark unscathed, and branches empty. Roxas smiled. He took a seat next to it, lying back in his white clothes on the earth, his fingered tangled in the grass and he pulled some out and examined it. Taking each piece and looking them over before dropping them by his side. He let the air out of his lungs and looked up through the leaves at the sky. It was blue and empty today save a few small puffs of water vapor. He let his eyes close.

Roxas came back around from when a hand began to lightly shake his shoulder. "Roxas." Zexion was standing over him. "Wake up. You need to go in for lunch." The blonde blinked groggily and sat up, looking around.

"It's time to go already?" He asked with a yawn. The professor just nodded.

"I hope that cured your problem and you will be able to work diligently in you later classes."

"How long was I asleep?" Roxas asked.

"The whole time, you need to report for lunch now." Roxas simply nodded. The professor frowned, "What is troubling you? You haven't acted like yourself in a while now." Roxas kept his eyes cast downward causing the professor to give a frustrated sigh. "You use to be excited to learn, so much so that you practically taught yourself and were ahead. I haven't seen that glow in about two weeks. What happened?" Roxas just shrugged. "Fine," Zexion said shortly. "I didn't really expect an explanation, just make sure you talk to someone about it, okay?" Roxas nodded and Zexion stood, extending a hand down towards the other. Roxas reluctantly took it and was pulled to his feet.

"Alright." Roxas sighed. Zexion gave a nod and patted him firmly on the shoulder. He walked towards the building, stepping into the shadow and the artificial light. He was led back to his room again as if he didn't know the way and sat to wait for his lunch brought in by the same familiar nurses. He hoped he wouldn't sit alone for lunch, but was stuck in solitude none the less.

The day dragged on the same as the days before. Roxas waited till the clock hit five. Going in to eat, and waiting for his redheaded Doctor for approximately fifteen minutes afterward before he decided him and Tifa were probably attending to some important business. He then climbed into the shower where saline water mixed with the spray from the shower head before he went to sleep.

҉

Axel excused himself from the shop around six and made his way upstairs to retrieve his keys. He had known the blonde was busy with work thus had put off seeing him till now so that he could finish any work he needed to do. In all honesty the redhead could not get the blonde out of his head. He hoped he was more forgiving today for his thoughtlessness. He couldn't handle the bitter side of the blonde and had been thinking about wrapping his arms around him for the past twenty-four hours despite his internal demanded more professional behavior. Axel opened the door to his apartment. Tifa was on the couch with the blonde, their conversation ceased when the redhead entered, Luxord ducked and began to watch television as if he hadn't been speaking at all. Tifa smiled at him. The redhead retrieved his keys off the counter and waved at the other.

"I'm heading down to the facility to visit with Roxas." The ebony woman stood.

"I was thinking of leaving, I'll walk out with you." The redhead shrugged.

"Sure." Tifa gave him a smile and began to collect her things, giving the blonde a kiss on the cheek that caused his whole face to brighten to a deep red. She walked to the front door next to the redhead. Axel descended the stairs and called to Riku as he left, stopping at his car which was parallel parked right outside the shop. Tifa came beside him.

"I'm parked over there." She pointed. "But I won't keep you waiting. I really enjoyed helping out, although I don't think he needs it anymore."

Axel smiled. "It was great having you over though, everyone really enjoyed your company." Axel shrugged. "And thanks for helping. I'm being serious. I owe you. Anything at all, just name it." The redhead teased.

Tifa laughed, "No, no I told you it was fine. Don't worry about it." Axel nodded.

"Well, we would love it if you stopped in some time, on a friendly basis this time, not work." Her laughter died down, she gave him a warm smile.

"I would like that." There was a slight flush to her cheeks. Axel nodded.

"Well alright then. I'll be seeing you around."

She nodded back, "Yeah," she turned, "Bye axel." It was only a moment; Axel had his car door open, ready to get inside when he heard the ebony woman call. "Axel!" She had turned around and was walking back. "You know, I do have an idea how you can pay me back." She was blushing, confident yet at the same time a slight bit timid ready to recoil if needed.

"Yeah, was it is?" Axel asked.

"I'm free tomorrow night and… I like Italian food. Maybe you can figure something out."

Axel blinked a moment and then opened his mouth, "Yeah, uh, yeah here," He pulled out his phone. "What's you number?"

She smiled and stepped closer. "Six, zero, seven, nine, three, six, forty one, seventy." He smiled at her.

"I'll give you a call."

"Alright," she blushed, turning away. Axel watched her for a moment. He got into his car and sat a moment, letting her leave first, laying his head on the steering wheel.

The parking lot was dark and empty, from outside Axel could see a few lights from offices turned on inside the building. He exited his car and stood, walking to the side exit door closest to his office and Roxas' room, unlocking it with his key. Roxas' lights were out as well. The redhead unlocked the room and entered, looking at the area, and checking the couch for any sleeping blondes. After finding the room to be void of life he walked back to the other's bedroom where he placed his ear to the door to see if he could hear anything inside. When the results came back as silent he opened the door just enough so he could peek inside. The room was dark as always, illuminated only by the blue screen mounted on the wall. Axel pushed the door the rest of the way open and walked in. Roxas was under a mound of blankets and as the other approached he could see that the younger male was snuggled with his bear tucked under his chin. Axel stood beside him a moment and looked down at his sleeping form, debating wither he should rouse the other or let him sleep. He decided to not wake the boy and simple got onto his knees beside the male and brushed his hair from his face a moment. There was no point in staying while the other was sound asleep. Axel leaned over about to place a soft kiss on the other's cheek, but he stopped himself. Standing and looking at the other before he then turned and exited, shutting the door behind him as softly as he could. Axel left the room and turned towards the elevator, pausing a moment and then entering and going up to the third floor. There he took the hallway that lead him towards Xemnas' room and peeked in as he passed. The light was on, Axel gave the door a firm knock.

"Come in," came the doctors muffled voice from within the room. Axel opened the door and Xemnas looked up at him. "Axel." He said. "How have you been? Are you still in any pain?"

The redhead shook his head. "Nah, I picked up those pain killers from Michael's yesterday. It only hurts a little bit, and hardly ever." Xemnas nodded.

"That's good." His eyes returned to his paper work.

"I just stopped in to see how everything is going." Axel stated after awhile. "What happened to Xehnort's team and Saix?"

Xemnas let out a sigh. "You really made a mess. But it seems to all be working out in our favor." Axel smiled. "Saix's trial is set for this Thursday, and Xehonrt has long since left with his team. When Ansem gave him the boot they left immediately, they didn't stick around to have their pride crushed anymore than it already had been." Xemnas smiled, "But your fuck up did get me out of that project, so thanks for taking one for the team."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, anytime." Xemnas' lips curled up as if he would laugh, but instead he stayed silent. After a moment Axel sighed and sat down.

"What of those fanatics has anyone herd anything since that letter?"

"It's quiet for now. I personally don't think they are an issue. All they have to give us are empty threats and bad publicity." Xemnas shrugged he picked up his coffee mug and took a sip. "I wouldn't lose any sleep over it Axel." The redhead nodded.

"Alright."

"Is anything else troubling you?" Xemnas asked, he looked up from his work. Axel paused a bit taken aback by the question. He thought a moment.

"No, not that I can think of." He said honestly. "But I'll let you know if something comes up." Xemnas nodded.

"Get home Axel." The redhead rolled his eyes, standing.

"There will come a day Xemnas where I won't have to listen to you anymore." He smirked.

Xemnas' lips curled up to a threatening smile, "But that day is not today. Goodbye Axel, I have work to do." Axel put his hand up to wave before he turned and left the room. The parking lot was dark and empty, it was still. Axel went quickly to his car and entered, turning on the lights and leaving to an equally dark shop, the only light came from the apartment windows. To Axel's dismay he found that once again he was booted to the couch.

_The calm fresh air that came in from the ocean now was harsh and full of sand and salt. It rained and the waves tossed each other about. I had retreated back farther inland and stood there. We all stood there. Us. All of us. Everyone. And we watched it tire itself. The storm we had seen so far out seemed to be here, but we knew that there was more to come. There is always more to come. So for now we simply held fast to a tree. _

"I will have you know, old friend, that although you have won this time, the victory will be short lived. One too many times have you made a mockery out of me. This will be your last time. I will take from you all that you have from me. I will ruin you like you have ruined me. Then we will see who sits on his high horse and who can laugh at whom. Dear friend please, hold fast. I do like challenges."


	17. Chapter 17

**I hope you guys enjoy this, I am procrastinating so I can write this for you. :] don't forget to leave a review, I want your opinions on this one!**

The redhead shuffled through his papers, double checking his paperwork from his recent appointments. He no longer had anything mandatory to do, all his appointments had finished roughly an hour ago. He glanced at the clock, it was nearing five. Axel's day had consisted of appointments back to back, three of which were his, the rest he assisted Doctor Xemnas who had a number of infants who were ready to pull from the tanks. All in all, the situation was exciting, yet it exhausted him. With all the work he had taken on that day Axel had only seen his blonde friend in passing, giving the other a smile and wave, but then quickly going onto his task. Axel set the remaining papers down, giving a sigh and winced at the pain that shot through his side. He froze until it subsided and he was able to relax. It was going to be his first time seeing the blonde in what felt to him a while considering the last time his departure was on less than friendly terms. Axel grabbed his keys off his desk and opened the door, stepping out and glancing at the clock behind him, four fifty. He proceeded down the hall, hoping to get into the room and surprise the other. As he came closer the side door of the library flung open and Roxas stormed out. The blonde froze a moment, looking the redhead up and down, before quickly turning and going to his door. He stood irritated, tapping his foot with his arms crossed. He kept his eyes ahead and away from Axel. Xion came out frantically after him rushing over and unlocking the door. Axel was dead in his tracks. His brow arched high as he watched the blonde storm into his room and flop onto his couch. Tifa came out of the library door, looking to where Axel's eyes went.

"Axel." She said softly. The redhead gave her his attention.

"Is he alright?" Axel said looking back towards the other's room.

The ebony haired woman simply shrugged, "I'm not sure." She gave a sigh, "But I can tell you all about it later." He looked at her, she was clearly tired. "You never called me."

Axel gave her a confused look and then smiled upon remembering. "Yeah, I'm sorry I just got busy."

She shrugged. "It's fine… so… are we still on for tonight?"

Axel shrugged, "I don't see why not."

A soft smile graced her lips, "How about six thirty?"

The redhead thought a moment, frowning almost immediately afterwards. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, "Jeez, I can but I feel bad." He pointed at Roxas' room. "I haven't spent time with him in awhile and last I check he was a bit upset about it."

Tifa shrugged. "I know, but he will get over it, besides, they don't pay you to baby sit." Tifa gave a playful look.

"True." He let out a sigh, pondering it a while. "Alright six thirty then, you want me to pick you up at your place?"

"No," She smiled, "I'll just meet you at your place." Axel nodded.

"I need to get in there then." He said casting a weary look at the room.

"Alright see you tonight." She gave him a wave before Axel began to walk towards the room. He paused a moment and then took his keys and unlocked the door, stepping in. The blonde had turned on the television and was half watching it, half daydreaming.

"Hey Roxas." The redhead said coming over and sitting down on the seat next to him. The blonde never looked at the other. "It feels like it's been a long time. What have you been doing?" The blonde looked over at the redhead not amused and then back at the television. Axel gave him a curious expression. "Roxas?" The other didn't answer. The redhead rolled his eyes, sitting back in his seat. "You've got to be kidding me, you're still angry?" No answer. The redhead closed his eyes, rubbing his brow. The door to the room opened and Aerith came in, greeting the pair and dropping off a plate of food before exiting. Roxas leaned forward and picked up the plate and began to eat silently. Neither spoke. A few minutes dragged by in awkward silence, the tension electrifying the room. Axel turned and looked at the other. "Are you really not going to say anything to me?" The blonde raised an eyebrow and turned towards the other.

"I'm eating. What do you want from me?"

"I was hoping to talk to you. It's been awhile." Axel tried to control his frustration. Roxas shrugged, he turned away from the other and pretended to watch the television. Axel rolled his eyes again, looking to his watch and sighing. "Roxas, if you're not going to speak to me then I might as well leave."

"It's not like you would have stayed long anyways." The blonde never made eye contact, and the redhead just stared at him.

Axel leaned forward a bit, licking his lips as he tried to say something. His brows furrowed. "Roxas, I had other placed I needed to be this weekend. Everything was fine before this. What's really going on?" The blonde shrugged. Axel sighed propping his head up on his hand a moment to think. "Is it school?" Silence. "I mean, if you are stressed I can always talk to Ansem and…" The redhead trailed off when the blonde made no movement. He looked down at his hands in his lap and sighed. "I can't make you talk to me. But I'm here for you when you are ready." He looked up at him a bit, the other was still. Reluctantly the redhead leaned over, and pulled the blonde into a hug. It caused Roxas to be pulled from his spot a bit, making him let out a frustrated noise as Axel's chest pressed against his back. Axel rested his forehead against the back of Roxas' neck. The blonde quieted.

Axel looked into the bathroom mirror staring at the image reflected back. He ran his fingers through his locks of untamed crimson, letting out a sigh. At this point he had swapped his t-shirt under his lab coat for a nice button up shirt he had snagged from Riku's closet. It was composed of a variety of soft shades of grey with the tiniest stitching of red very now and then arranged in vertical strips that made his torso look even thinner. Over top he pulled on a simple jacket that was nice but not too dressy. Once he was dressed he went to his work pants discarded on the floor and fished around for his wallet. The redhead opened it and double-checked to see that he had his money and proper cards before leaving his bedroom. He grabbed his keys on the way past the counter. Riku was making dinner. The other two were watching television together, Demyx talked and Luxord gave soft answers every now and then.

"Guys, I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Riku asked.

Demyx had turned around, "Wow Axel! You look cool. Where are you going all dressed up?"

Axel looked at Riku, who now donned a smirk. "Yes, where are you going all dressed up?" He teased.

The redhead rolled his eyes, laughing to himself quietly. He went to the door before the other could speak shutting it and hearing a few sarcastic and suggestive remarks from Riku. Axel chose to not acknowledge them and instead just shook his head at the other before making his way down the stairs. He exitd the shop after he made sure that the door behind him was locked. Axel then stood by his car. It was six thirty when she pulled in, and parked behind him. The woman waved from inside and then pulled her mirror down to reapply her fire red lipstick. Afterwards she opened the door and stepped out. Her dark ebony hair was pull up into a lose bun so that pieces hung down in some places, framing her face beautifully. She was wearing a classy, yet flirty, red dress that went roughly to the middle of her thigh. Her shoes were simple showing her nicely painted toenails. "You clean up nice, Doctor." She said as she approached.

He cleared his throat, "Yeah, so do you…"

She shook her head a little and giggled at him, "Shall we go?" Axel gave a nod, going over and opening the door for the woman, and then closing it. He got into the drivers side. "I've been looking forward to this all day, you have no idea." Axel started his car and had already pulled away from the curb.

"You have?" He smirked.

"It's not everyday a hansom and successful man takes me out Doctor." She teased.

Axel just shook his head and laughed, "You flatter me. I'm sure you have plenty of men falling all over themselves to take you out."

Tifa chuckled, "Well, yes," She gave him a playful look, "But none I like."

"That's to bad," He responded a moment later, ignoring the advance. They drove a little ways downtown to a more public shopping district. Axel pulled into a spot exiting his car and coming around the other side to open Tifa's door. She stepped out, the air was getting cool as it got darker. The smell of wet leaves was seeping into the air since the trees had begun to steadily drop their leaves. "After you," Axel said to her. She blushed and offered him her hand, which caused him to pause a moment, not noticeable to her, before he guiltily took it. This stretch of city was known as one of the larger shopping districts and was like stepping into a movie. There were a few trees on the sidewalk closer to the road. They were decorated by white lights. There was a soft glow of dimed yellow street lamps and shop lights that gave the place a romantic atmosphere, as they walked the couple passed other pairs sharing intimate moments together on park benches. Their destination was at the end, a larger Italian mom and pop restaurant that had come to be known as one of the fancy joints in town. Though there were more high class places to frequent, for a nice sit down dinner where one preferred to be surrounded neither by stuffed shirts nor screaming kids, it was the place to be. A waiter opened the door for the pair as they approached and they were immediately seated upstairs in one of the outside balcony tables under a canopy of white lights.

The car pulled in along the curb, hitting it and knocking the passengers inside around. The driver's side opened and Axel stepped out, with him a flood of laughter. He was a bit wobbly was he shut his door, the passenger side opening and the woman peeking out. He cussed a bit and hurried over to her side and pulled the door the rest of the way, all the while laughing and greeting her with a humorous, "My lady." She in turn tired to hold in her laughter. She nodded to him, giving the male her hand, which he took placing a chaste kiss on it as he helped her from the vehicle. She gave him a playful smile as she stepped onto the pavement. Their intentions that night was not to drink, but with the atmosphere combined with the pairs shared interests, conversation lead on, and with it so did the night. One glass of wine led to another. When Tifa got control of her giggles the pair paused. She gave him a nervous smile and blush, hands going to her arms to cover the goose bumps. It had gotten dark, late, and cold. Axel gave her a dopey grin.

"I better head home." She said, motioning back to her car. The redhead frowned as she turned around wobbly in her heels.

"Wait," He choked. The redhead cleared his through, "You can't drive home, let me take you." She looked at him. And laughed.

"You are worse off than I am."

She turned back around. The redhead panicked, "Then stay," He offered. The ebony woman turned back around and smiled at the male. She bit her lip.

"Alright." she said playfully she walked back towards him with as much allure as an intoxicated woman could have, making the redhead clear his throat involuntarily. "Lets go inside."

The living room was dark and quiet. As agreed it was Riku's turn on the sofa since he had hogged the bed for a couple nights with Sora. He had settled in for a sound night of sleep when awakened with the sounds of giggled and the jingling of keys. The silver haired man sighed, anticipating the noise that would follow but as the door opened the two crept in like teenagers evading their parents. Riku listened to their movements; the lights were left off. There were a few bumps as they collided with the furniture, which was followed with cusses from the pair. They continued back into the bedroom.

It happened in a blur. One moment Axel was stepping into the room, turning to smile and maybe kiss the woman behind him, then his back was meeting his mattress with a bounce and she was on him kissing him fast and hard as if the world depended on it. A chill ran up the redhead's spine alerting his body to the change in atmosphere and his reaction was primal in nature. He reached his hand over shakily and was able to turn on the lamp beside his bed, which fell in the process. The action made her disconnect the kiss, giving him a pleased smile. She was straddling his hips. Axel propped himself up on his elbows to get a hazy view of the woman. Her red lips curled into a smile, lean arms going up to make a show of slowly unpinning her hair, it fell onto her shoulders one strand at a time. Her hands then moved to him, undoing each button one by one and pushing both shirt and jacket open. She connected their lips, all the while directing the male's hands to her breasts. He reached back and traced a line up her spin till he found the top of the zipper on the back of her dress. He pulled it down allowing the fabric that had tightly clung to her skin to now easily slip down and off her pale body. Axel took in the sight before she was on him once more, her body grinding against his. At some point her hands had reached down and began to fondle the redhead's groin, their kiss became more forceful as she took the liberty of unbuttoning him. Among his bliss he barley noticed her leave his lips and move down his body. The realization occurred only when she took him in his mouth. He did little to hold back his gasps as she continued her ministrations bringing him closer to climax. As he reached his limit he couldn't help but grab onto the other's hair and growl out a lustful, "Roxas!" before releasing. Dizzily he looked up, smiling at the sweet blue eyes, bringing a hand up to brush blond locks out of the other's face. Their lips were reconnected, eyes closing and giving way to the darkness.

_There was a tapping at the glass and a beating of wings._

There was a ringing that echoed within his head. The sound cause a throbbing sensation and splitting pain. Axel groggily came out of sleep, sitting up and grabbing his head immediately, cussing under his breath. He looked around the room, startled by the sleeping form next to him. He stared down at the woman confused before he decided to answer his phone that was strangely hidden in the heap of blankets over top of them after falling from his pants the night before. His eyes only left the woman for a moment to check his caller ID that read 'Xemnas'. Axel opened the phone and brought it to his ear.

"Axel?!" The other's volume caused the redhead to quickly pull the devise from his face. After a moment her brought it back.

"Hello?" He asked cautiously.

"You had an appointment today at twelve. You can't just decide to miss work. What the hell do you think you are doing? You better have a good fucking reason to no be here, I had to cover for you! Get your ass here immediately!" The redhead winced at the phone, the man's words were all jumbling together in his brain.

"Yeah…okay. On my way…" Axel closed the phone and glanced at the other. He then looked towards his bedside table and stood the lamp back upright and turned off the light, letting out a sigh and standing only to realize he was exposed. Axel cringed and quickly got into the bathroom, stripping down and taking a shower the whole while trying to replay the events of the previous night in his head. There was nothing. Axel dressed quickly, grabbing his phone from the bed and heading out the door, leaving the sleeping woman in the bedroom alone. Luxord and Demyx were sitting at the kitchen table playing cards, the younger about jumping from his seat and waved when the redhead walked by. Axel didn't answer and simply went past them, mumbling to himself under his breath.

҉

It took a few three to four hours of sulking for Roxas to get over his own anger. He couldn't really pinpoint his rage other than disliking Axel's choices to spend time with his ebony haired professor. But when he though about it, he realized that he indeed was holding a grudge like a child. It wasn't like the other hadn't been to see him. Axel had tried to come in and make it up to him he realized, but Roxas had acted abrasive. The blonde sat back and sighed, chewing a bite of his sandwich slowly. If anything it was Axel who should have been mad with him and his standoffish attitude. He had been working over in his mind an apology he could tell the redhead that would explain what was going on, but opted out that maybe a simple hug would work if the other wasn't to angry with him. None the less it didn't change the fact that he needed the other to be there in order to apologize, and the blonde had not seen sign of him all day, bringing on another daunting idea that the redhead could be avoiding him to spare himself anger and annoyance. Roxas sat and pondered that until he was forced to begin class.

Axel had managed to get himself into the white building and into his office where he remained with the lights on dim for the next twenty minutes wit a cup of coffee. An impatient knock came at his door. Axel moved to get up and unlock it, which proved to be to slow for the other waiting outside. The jingling of keys accompanied the knock and the door was opened. Xemnas look in at the redhead sternly he came inside letting the door slam behind him and stood in front of the other with a glare.

The silver male paused, eyes narrowing, "Are you hung-over?" He asked with a hiss.

Axel rubbed his temples and gave the other a nod, looking up apologetically a moment later. Xemnas slammed his hand down on the desk in rage, the sound echoing in the redhead's ears, sending a wave of pain. "Why the fuck would you come in hung over? This is a place for professionals. I'm going to have to report this to Ansem."

Axel jumped at the suggestion, "Hey, hey. Now you don't have to do that," He said quickly. "You called me in here, remember? I just did what I was told. Now if I stay here in my office for a little while, and wake up... I'm sure I'll be just dandy."

Xemnas rolled his eyes, "You are fucking right you will stay in here! Look over the files from the patients you missed this morning. I am not going to let you tarnish the name of this facility. You have an appointment at three. If you are fine by then you can cover it, if not I will cancel it, but I will be the judge of that."

"Sounds like you have it all under control." Axel said. "Are we done yet?" Xemnas rolled his eyes and stormed out, being sure to slam the door as he exited. The redhead cringed and cradled his head in is hand for the next hour, trying to make sense of what had occurred the pervious night.

҉

Roxas was stunned at the appearance of his teacher. Tifa was normally the most primed and polished of all his professors, but today her skin looked tired, he hair was pinned up and a mess, and her blouse and skirt didn't match. She had handed him some reading material, it was a booklet on essays written about the subject of genetics and he was simply to read them while she sat at the table sipping coffee and yawning. Roxas didn't necessarily feel bad for the woman; in fact he was a little pleased with her miserable appearance.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asked her, keeping the smile from his face.

The woman looked up at him and gave a sweet smile. "Yes, I'm just a bit tired today is all. I am very sorry. Once you finish your work feel free to use this time for free time." Roxas nodded. He was finished. He had been finished. And immediately stood and went to his shelf and pulled his few remaining textbooks for math. All he had to do was read and complete all the practice problems. Then when he showed up for class he could turn it in a surprise the teacher, advanced Calculus could then be checked off the list. Roxas gave a sigh and took the book over to his table and opened it.

Dinner for the night was a vegetarian hamburger, broccoli, a few strawberries, and a slice of Italian bread with a bit of butter. Roxas looked it over as he sat down at the table, thanking Aerith for bringing it. None of the foods save the berries were his favorites but beggars couldn't be choosers, and Roxas found himself strangely hungry. He began eating when the door to his room cracked open. The blonde looked behind him and spotted the redhead. Axel closed the door and walked over. Roxas had stopped eating and looked up at the man and then back away nervously. Axel gave a sigh.

"I'm sorry." He said. The apology confused Roxas. Axel stood a moment and then got onto the seat next to the blonde.

"No I should be sorry." Roxas responded softly after a few silent moments. "I shouldn't have been so angry at you for nothing."

Axel looked the other over, his chest tightened as he realized just how guilty he felt. "We can both be sorry." Roxas smiled at him and scooted close enough to put his arms around the redhead. Axel closed his eyes and held onto the smaller male. Axel had a whole day to think. Think about why the blonde would be mad, think about Tifa. The redhead worked out every possible scenario that could have unfolded the night before, the ideas bringing a stomach clenching feeling. He hoped that the worse hadn't occurred.

"Axel?" a feminine voice interrupted. Axel let go of the blonde and looked behind him. Tifa was in the doorway. "Can I speak with you?" The redhead looked down at Roxas, who now donned a hurt expression, and then at the woman in the doorway. Axel put a hand on the other's shoulder.

"I'll be back really soon." He said. The blonde nodded. Axel got up and walked towards the ebony woman who gave him a soft smile. She stepped to the side so he could exit and shut the door.

"What was all that," She asked motioning back to the boy inside.

Axel gave a shrug. "He apologized to me, he has been angry with me." She nodded. Axel lead her down the hall a ways from the blonde's door, far enough where the other couldn't hear, but if he wanted to he could see, and the blonde couldn't help but look over the couch and peek at them every few minutes out of fear they would leave together. "Look Tifa, about last night," The woman motioned for him to not speak.

"It's alright. We were both drunk. No big deal, neither of us meant for it to go in that direction." She shrugged a little, eyes falling elsewhere and cheeks flushed. "It happened and to be honest… I don't really regret it."

Axel's eyes widened. "You…don't?" She shook her head. Axel's brow creased and he thought a moment speechless. "Do you know what… happened last night?"

She gave him a devilish smile. "Don't worry doctor, your virginity is still intact," Axel flushed, eyes wide. She giggled at him.

"I am not a virgin…" He said embarrassedly.

The woman just laughed, "I'm just teasing. But in all honestly you could have fooled me, you acted as if you had never been with a woman." She gave him a playful look. Axel's blush darkened and he averted his eyes. "Axel." The redhead lifted his gaze and was met, this thin arms snaking around his neck and her lips upon his in a short peck. "Next time you take me out to dinner we will steer clear of the wine." She gave him a smile when he didn't answer. "It's not very often you meet a man who scores on the first date and feels guilty for it rather than brag." She bit her lip. "I like that about you. So, how about we try again sometime, okay?" Axel blinked at her but before he could come up with anything she was already planting another kiss on his cheek and walking away, telling him the she would see him tomorrow. Axel was left standing dumbfounded in the hallway. He turned back towards the glass room in time to see the door of the blonde's bedroom close. Axel licked his lips and did his best to swallow back the lump that had formed in his throat. His mind was blank, void of thought, only an overall feeling of panic lingered. He got to the door quickly and took out his keys about to unlock it when a hand grasped his shoulder.

"Leave him be, Axel." came Ansem's voice from behind. Axel had been doing his best to keep his frustration inside yet his eyes still show sign of hurt, lips pursed, he put his forehead against the glass. "I'm heading home, you should probably do the same. Walk with me." He commanded. Axel looked the male over and then gave the dark room a glance. He pulled his keys from the door. Axel turned and obediently followed the doctor down the hall. Ansem looked over the younger male and sighed, "I know it's been stressful for you lately with everything that's been going on." Axel paused, "Xemnas told me you came in hung over today."

"Oh," Axel tried to hide his annoyance.

"I wanted to let you know that both him and I are here for you. And the storm is almost over." The redhead looked over at him. "Both Xemnas and I will be absent tomorrow. Its our final court date, we are getting a restraining order against him for both you and the facility, though the trial is more for the facility, everything dealing with you has been worked out under the table." Axel nodded.

"It moved quick," He said with a breathless laugh.

Ansem gave a smile, "Well you know me. I'd rather not drag out pointless things such as that. I just wanted to hit him where it hurts and be done with it."

"Is Saix's medical license suspended?" Axel asked.

"It will be," Ansem said as he smiled. The elder male pushed open the side door and allowed the redhead to exit. "Where are you parked?" Axel motioned with a tilt of his head to the left side of the parking lot. "Ah, well I'll see you then Axel. We are all very proud of you." The doctor said with a nod, walking off to his car. Axel furrowed his brow, wetting his lips a bit. He walked over to his car and sat inside, allowing himself to release his frustration.

**You guys seriously have no idea how much your reviews mean to me. When I see one I get so happy, it makes me feel like writing... but I haven't really got much lately. Like one ****per chapter, and don't get me wrong, I love them but none address content, or suggest improvements.**

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	18. Chapter 18

**You all better thank ****freakin'cute'blonde because if it wasn't for he/she I would not have posted. :] yup this great person reviewed and was the only person to review my last chapter, for that I love him/her. That's all I have to say for now.**

A life mounted on a wall is not ideal. Sure there are a lot of up sides, but all in all the absences of stress from being inhuman creates a plethora of new issues. With your capabilities limited so much you are merely restrained to sitting, waiting, and watching. Preying the conflicts before you will work themselves out. Sure, the lack of involvement was nice seeing as if you were involved you would need a more human reaction, comforting, consoling, none of which came easy. With the lens waiting, the blue screen did all it could. Stationary, camera on the alert for when the blonde would pace one way or the other, doing its best to focus and zoom in and out on its roommate. It displayed the same message as any other night, a white, "Hello Roxas," but that was all it could manage. It could not manage to think, take in the information and turn it over in its memory like waves rolling in a storm. It could not organize that chaos, the chaos that plagued its blonde companion's mind. For an hour now the blonde had done the same thing, pacing back and forth mindlessly, turning over the actions of the other male, swollen eyes. He couldn't control his tears. Every time he blinked, every step he took, the image of their lips connecting came to him, sending another tear rolling down his cheek. Legs fatigued, mind hazy, Roxas sat himself down on the edge of his bed, allowing himself to collapse back and curl against his pillow limp. He stared, wet cheeks sticking to the cloth, he felt empty save a new stabbing feeling that made his chest tighten. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes hoping sleep would over take his tired body and put an end temporarily to the pain.

He exhaled. Chartreus eyes fluttered open and scanned the dark room. Somehow he had fallen asleep. Axel took a moment to collect himself after his dream, relax, and wipe the wetness from the corners of his eyes. He didn't even bother to sit up and looked over at his alarm clock, letting out a sigh the redhead began to rub his temples. He told himself over and over: _It's alright. You're alright. There is nothing you can do about it at the moment. Get sleep and it can be fixed tomorrow… _The redhead shut his eyes he doubted he could ever get back to sleep.

_There was a tapping at the window and a beating of wings._

Axel nearly gasped as he startled from his sleep. The redhead sat up in bed, looking around. The sun was out and he could hear the others in the kitchen. His brow furrowed and he looked towards his clock, cussing as he read the time. Nine. The redhead got up from his bed and went to the shower. He had no appointments scheduled for today but that didn't excuse his tardiness. He did his best to be quick and efficient in the shower, stepping out ten minutes later and drying his hair. He put on the usual outfit of a shirt, dress pants and white lab coat symbolizing his role in the facility. He left his room. Demyx and Luxord were awake. The smaller of the males was leaning over the counter chatting away at the other who looked as if he was listening out of politeness rather than interest. Luxord glance up at the redhead as he came out into the kitchen.

"We didn't mean to wake yah," His voice was quiet.

Demyx whipped around, immediately covering his mouth. "Don't worry. You guys didn't wake me up." Axel said, his tone was less than chipper. "I'm later for work."

"Sorry mate, we was told let yah sleep." Axel nodded. He simply walked by the pair, leaving them staring behind. The redhead thumped down the steps the noise attracting the attention of the silver male who stuck his head out of the kitchen.

"It that you Axel?" He asked flatly.

"Yeah."

"I hardly had to ask. Glad to see you're awake, is everything alright?"

"I'm late for work." He stared at his roommate who looked guiltily back.

Riku let out a sigh. "I shut your alarm off. I figured that you were upset and needed the rest."

"Who told you I was upset," Axel snapped.

"Well you certainly don't seem alright to me," He countered, "Besides, I herd you last night, we all herd you last night." The redhead sobered; taken aback he relaxed and remained silent. Riku let out a sigh. "Look Axel, I just felt like you needed the day off. So I turned off your alarm. You would have been in no condition to work. At least you're rested now." Axel looked the male over and then sighed.

"Yeah."

The silver male nodded, "Yeah."

"But I still have to get to work Riku, so I'll see you."

Riku gave him a smile, "I'm here for you if you need it."

"I know," The redhead turned from the other for the door. He exited and got into his car.

The facility was the same. Roxas woke up at eight alone, uncovered, clothed. He was on his stomach, arms wrapped around his pillow. Roxas' eyes were stuck shut having fallen asleep crying. It was an effort to pry them open. His head was pounding, and the ringing of the alarm irritated him. After a moment he steadied himself before standing on fatigued legs and stumbling over to the alarm. He felt as if he hadn't slept in years, as if at any moment he could drop dead and sleep forever. He put his hand against the wall, looked at the bathroom, then the bed. His pain was dulled by a numb feeling had somehow worked its way into his stomach as he slept. Roxas got back into bed. The blankets were still warm, sliding underneath, he used his toes to push his socks off. It felt like a second, his eyes closed, and then reopened. There was a hand on his shoulder.

"Roxas, what are you doing?" Aerith starred down at him. Her expression worried. "You know you need to be up for class. Are you sick?" She took a hand to his forehead.

"Can I stay in bed awhile longer?"

"You don't have a fever Roxas. So you need to get out of bed. Class begins soon and you need to have breakfast." She made her way to the door, and when she realized he hadn't moved the woman looked back at him, "I will give you five minutes to be up out of bed, if not I will have no choice but to report the behavior." She left the room.

Roxas swallowed back the lump that had formed in his throat and got up out of bed. He went into the bathroom and turned on the sink, slashing cold water in his face. There was no time for a shower. He didn't bother with changing his clothes; instead he just put on clean socks. He didn't care today, and left the room. Aerith was outside waiting, she smiled at him. He sat own and ate silently although it was a struggle since the smell of the food made his stomach do a flip, all he wanted to do was sleep. Sleep off the image that kept playing in his head. "Are you ready to go now?" Roxas looked up at the nurse. He did his best to smile at her, but in the end just shrugged.

The last thing Axel wanted was to run into Tifa. After everything, he just needed a few hours to clear his head and try to make it up to the blonde. He took his frustration up to the labs where he distracted himself with the tedious task of checking each fetus. His mind was blank; he could do this work in his sleep if he had to. He took special care to check his own patient's tanks; a few had small dots of cells hardly visible but growing quick. When the redhead returned to his office it was nearing eleven. Though the task had momentarily distracted him, now that it was done his mind was swarming with thoughts and guilt. It didn't help that upon entering his office he found an envelope on his desk. Axel took a seat in his chair, leaning back for a moment before picking it up and breaking the seal. He pulled out a piece of lined paper that looked more like a grade school note than a letter and read. Afterwards he set it down, closed his eyes, letting out a long breathless sigh.

_I'm sorry if I was taking it fast. I know how guilty you must have felt yesterday, but don't worry, everything is all right and nothing major happened. I would love to spend more time with you, maybe even further our relationship. I'll be in the library doing lesson plans today for Roxas, so if you would like to chat you can find me there._

Axel looked at the paper's signature at the bottom, signed elegantly with a heart. What was he suppose to do with this. Axel let his mind mull over the details of their latest meeting. He had to speak with the Roxas, explain what happened and try to reconnect with him. But Tifa wasn't making it easy. She needed to be out of the picture in order to solve the problem. He had to go find her. He had to fix everything.

If anger had a distinct odor the library would have reeked of it. Roxas couldn't help but grasp onto his pencil tightly to the point of snapping. His eyes trying to stay focused on his paper, but were pulled away to glare daggers across the table. This went unnoticed though. The ebony professor was busy at work with her own tasks of reading through a few previously written essays to grade for the blonde. She kept running her fingers through her silky black hair, pulling it over her shoulder. In the half hour Roxas had been in her presence a mix of emotions had surged through him, the most current was anger. It was all he could to do keep himself from saying something cruel, or reaching across the table and ripping the pretty hair she keep playing with right out of her pretty head. The professor looked up, startled at the blonde for a moment, which made his expression waver.

"Are you alright Roxas," She when to ask, "You look-" The door to the library opened softly and Axel looked inside. Tifa immediately smiled at him. Roxas turned around, heart skipping a beat when seeing the redhead. A massive amount of adrenalin started to pump through his system that gave his gut a sinking feeling. "I'll be right back, this will only take a moment." She smiled at Roxas and then walked so fast to the redhead it could have been mistaken for a jog. Tifa exited through the door, it shut behind them. Roxas' mind was frantic. They were out there together. Images of them kissing raced through his mind. For all he knew they could be kissing again. He probably loved her. Roxas saw red. He hated them both, and yet… The thought of them together drove him mad. He had half the mind to bust through those doors and let them know what was what. He quickly turned back around facing the door when something warm caught his eye. Roxas paused, heartbeat slowing, temper calming. It was warm outside. The sun was up, and he could see a bird fly by.

"Look Tifa," Axel said. He sighed, fumbling with his choice of words. She was smiling at him, waiting for the other to speak. "About what happened," Axel paused, he wasn't good at stuff like this. "Look, you're nice and all, but I'm not really," Her smile faded and she looked at him sadly.

"You don't like me that way." She finished for him. She had broken eye contact and was now scanning the floor.

"Yeah." Axel said. "I'm sorry Tifa its just… I…"

"You like someone else, don't you?" The redhead paused and then nodded.

"Yes."

He didn't need Axel. He didn't need this facility. He was done with it all. All he needed was the freedom that dangled in front of him, just there outside the glass. Roxas was standing. There was a doctor in the room behind a case of books. No eyes were on him for this moment. Nothing was stopping him, he was in the clear and he took that opportunity. Roxas bolted from his seat, coming to the door and shoving through it in one swift movement. The impact and squeaks of the hinges alerted the doctor. Roxas barley heard the sound of his voice. Instead of listening he kept running. He ran as fast as he could strait out towards the trees.

Tifa nodded her head, "You know, its fine Axel. I figured as much."

"But I do enjoy your company, I wouldn't mind remaining friends." The ebony haired woman smiled, she was about to open her mouth and speak when the pair heard a commotion from the other side of the door. It flung open and the two looked at a panicked gasping man, he took a few deep breaths and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"The… subject has…" He gasped and wheezed between each word Axel looked at him, face already becoming worried, "..has escaped." Axel paled. He shoved through the door. Scanning the room and stopping on the emergency exit. Looking out the window he quickly broke out in a run when he realized he couldn't see the boy. He burst through the door and looked around. It was dead quiet save a few chirps of singing birds somewhere farther away.

"Roxas!" He yelled. His heart was going a mile a minute. There was no sigh of the other there. "Roxas!" he yelled again. Axel was frantic, looking every which way, turning in circles to try and spot him. He started to run off straight ahead.

"Axel!" The redhead turned around, Tifa was in the doorway. "I called Ansem, he said he would be here soon to help find him." Axel looked at her a moment eyes full of worry and regret.

"Until he gets here I'm going to search on foot." He yelled back. She nodded at him and went to shut the door. He took a deep breath and then ran forward, keeping his eyes open for the other.

Roxas braced himself against a tree, gasping to regain his breath. He could barely hear the yells and calls from the facility behind him. He ran not paying attention to where he was going. He came through the last of the trees that marked the end of the facilities privet property, eyes wide. He had never realized how close the city was. They were barely even outside of it. Roxas came through the little bit of bush and under growth only to be stopped by a black, waist-high iron fence. He grabbed onto it, looking around out of the fence's reach. There was a stretch of busy road with more buildings on its side that looked large and important, not as large as his own facility though. Farther off he could see the silhouettes of buildings. The city. Thinking back to when Axel took him there he realized that he had never gone that far in. He wondered how far they reached, how tall he was next to them. He already felt small standing under the trees. Closer he could make out streets and small buildings with cars and people. The city stood beyond all this. The white hilltop building was among an upper class suburban area.

"Roxas! Please, come back." The blonde whipped his head around. It was Axel. The other's voice sent a pain through his chest. The redhead sounded desperate. Roxas grabbed tightly onto the iron fence, sweat beading on his brow. He had mixed feelings. He wished to go, to respond to the redhead's calls, but his body swiftly pushed down on the fence and with a jump Roxas was on the other side. He stood a moment, the calls closer, and he darted in the other direction, running down the sidewalk and past the large houses that stood, surrounded by large yards fenced in with tall walls. He kept running as far as he could, turning down streets he had never seen, and losing track of where he had been.

Axel let growled out an annoyed, "Fuck," as the phone in his pocket began to vibrate. He slowed his vehicle; pulling the phone to his ears, eye scanning the road ahead and sidewalks. "Axel, where are you?"

The redhead rolled his eyes, "Out looking for Roxas. Where the fuck do you think I am?" He yelled. The other end was silent. "Jesus Xemnas."

"It's Ansem." The doctor correct.

"Who the fuck ever. Have you guys even began searching?"

"Yes, the authorities have been contacted and they are dispatching a search team. By any chance did he ever confide onto you where he might be going?"

"He was angry at me, he hasn't confided anything in me all week." He spat, "He's been angry. I have been spending to much time with Tifa." The elder male was silent. "Look Ansem, I can't talk .I have to find him. This is my fault."

"Axel, I want him back just as much." The redhead bit his tongue. "Don't kill yourself out there." He stated. "There is a whole city out there, and you're only one man. I can't stop you from searching Axel, but you have to realize that it is not something you can go at all night." Axel's face stayed serious as he thought it over.

"How ever long it takes Ansem. I'll be out until he is found." With that the line clicked dead and the redhead tossed the phone into the passenger seat. He had drove up and down street after street. He realized that with all his searching the chances of being on the right street at the right time was slim to none. His brows knit together. Mixtures of rage, regret and sadness hit him like a kick in the gut. The redhead sped up, going down another street and heading deeper in the grid of suburban homes.

His blue eyes scanned up the street. He took a few steps, taking in the change of neighborhood. He had wandered into the upper middle class suburban area that lay just past the facility. Each house was a different color, cars parked in the dive while some were tucked away in half open garages. In a few cases there were even people outside, a woman tending to a shrub and a group of elderly people conversing on the sidewalk. He could hear laughter of children; some even ran out in the front yard, waving at him as he walked by. He looked at everything, as if he could not absorb the information fast enough, eyes darting from here to there, standing out awkwardly in his outfit of white. And suddenly, everyone noticed him. The blonde felt his heart speed up, with the realization of the eyes upon him. He wished to turn back or shrink into the bushes of the lawn behind him. A mother looked up from her phone, she had been trying to get her children into her car and now stared at him, unmeaning to of course. Giving him a weak smile upon realizing her rudeness. A couple of elderly people squinted their eyes to see the boy from their porches, making soft comments to each other. Children paused in their play although their greeting was warm. Roxas swallowed and started to walk, smiling at the adults. With that gesture people slowly began to go back to their tasks, casting a curious eye his way as he continued. Roxas found that the street continued to another, which was linked to yet another, and another in an endless maze of city blocks. At noon he sat down upon a bench that was placed at the corner of Hamilton drive and Thomson Avenue. The temperature was probably reaching eighties, which, for a person who spent their life in an air conditioned building, was hot. At some point the city blocks had led him to a part of town where the homes were humble. It was a nice neighborhood filled to the brim with people. He noticed more people outside walking dogs, in their gardens, and children playing. He enjoyed the area most out of what he had seen. Roxas smiled letting the wind break upon him and ruffle his blonde hair, the sky was a bright blue dotted with the smoggy clouds from the larger part of the city. He closed his eyes a moment to take it all in.

"I'm telling you man, we gotta find a way to get him back." Roxas startled at the voice, it was deeper than his, with an egotistical ring to it.

"Yeah I see what you're saying, but really, don't you remember what happened last time? He about pummeled you. And I honestly don't want to get into trouble again." Added in another male voice, unsure and kind.

"Pence, you always say that."

"Yeah I know."

"And what happens?"

"You do it anyways and get your ass handed to you." The pair was walking up the street. They were two boys looking to be about fifteen or maybe a year older. The taller of the two was a sandy blonde boy, tanned and toned wearing a vest over a t-shirt and a pair of camouflage cargo pants. To his right was a heavy set boy, someone of the likes Roxas had never seen since everyone who worked around him were fit to set an example. The other's appearance in all honesty shocked him. The boy was a bit shorter, although not by much, and wore a blue bandana on his head with a red baggy jersey shirt and darker basketball short. Ironically the male looked as if he had never played a sport in his life. He was licking a popsicle, while the blonde waved his popsicle stick violently as he tried to argue his point. Roxas watched them approach wide eyed; hoping they would acknowledge him, he had never seen someone of his own age before. Unfortunately the conversation was to important, and as they walked by the blonde simply tossed his stick in the garbage, looking over the blonde on the bench for a brief moment before turning back to his friend.

"As if Pence, that was so unfair. Siefer had me out numbered. That's why I'm going to pay him back. It's a matter of pride!"

Their voices grew softer as they continued down the street. Roxas watched them, they reached about midway down the next block when he stood, taking a few cautious steps forward and then following them. They never once noticed their unwelcomed company following them a block away. The blonde continued to slowly stalk down two more blocks before the pair ahead of him stopped in at a park. It was a smaller park, a small city block with cute suburban homes on all four sides of it. There was a group of children playing a game around a slid, and an older girl swinging. The boys walked over and joined the girl on the swings. She greeted them warmly; she was a taller brunette with green eyes donning an orange baggy tank top and shorts. Roxas caught up, stepping off the sidewalk and into the grass a little bit. They continued to interact with each other; the girl stopped her swinging and hugged the boys, even placing a chaste kiss upon the heavy male's cheek. Roxas flushed, stepping back and bumping into the bench that was stationed by the sidewalk. He looked at it and climbed on, sitting somewhat to the side and turning around uncomfortably to see the teens. He could hear them talking, although he understood little of what they were speaking of, and watched the expression go across each persons face, the males sticking to a more grounded reaction of simple smiles and laughs unlike earlier when they were alone together, and the most vivid reactions coming from the female in the group. Roxas settled back, hanging onto the back to the bench and resting his chin atop. Their friendly encounter was disrupted when another male, a taller, more built boy with a vest and beanie came striding up from behind Roxas. He was followed by a couple of his friends, a shorter girl and a taller tan skinned male. Roxas' brow furrowed. The elder man came up, abruptly shoving back the smaller blonde and growling something threatening. The children in the park all froze in their activities, mothers standing and collecting their children ushering them away from the scene. The assault continued, the taller male viciously speaking and jabbing the other in the chest. Roxas bit his lip; all he could see was a rush of blue and redhead. Axel. Someone was going to get hurt.

"Stay off our turf chicken wuss, I get sick of seeing your ass running around and messing with our customers. You're setting a bad name for us out there, and I won't stand for it."

"Siefer, you don't own those people. They asked us fair and square to help them." The green eyed brunette girl said, she stood tall, but the blonde still had the smaller sandy haired boy backed against the bar of the swing set. He never moved but shifted his narrowed eyes over at the other.

"Shut up dike. Did I ask you? Go play in the kitchen and let the men talk." He retorted, the girl's face turned red.

"Hey Siefer, don't be an asshole to her." Pence said stepping in front of the upset girl. "She's right, we have every right to those jobs as you do, especially when they ask us for help." The male simply turned his focus back towards the blonde standing under his shadow. He down up at the blonde and smirked.

"Do you have anything to say?" The blonde's lips remained tightly shut, the taller male opened his mouth, about to something when he froze, grabbed the back of his head and turned around. A fist swung back around and smacked him in the temple knocking the bully flat on his back, and unconscious. The trio looked up from Siefer's body on the ground to the huffing blonde who had mysteriously came up behind him, cradling his hand in the other. Roxas' brows were knit together and he glared daggers at the blonde at his feet. His eyes then drifted up and he startled. The trio all had wide eyes, staring at him in disbelief. Roxas felt his heart beat skip, a rush of adrenalin through his body, and his hands began to shake violently. The sandy haired blonde in the front stepped forward and looked down at the other then back up at the stranger. Worry overcame the blonde's face he bit his lip and blinked as he tried to hold back tears. He registered that what he had done wasn't a good thing. Hayner again looked to the unconscious bully opening his mouth to speak but when he looked up the foreign blonde wasn't there. Hayner jumped and looked around, the strange blonde boy was already darting down the street.

҉

"Here's our lead." Ansem said through the phone. "The police had a report today of a blonde wearing all white down in Roskamp park. According to the witnesses he walked up to a group of teenagers and knocked one unconscious." Axel about spit his coffee, he coughed loudly a while before he gave the phone in is hand a confused look.

"He what?!"

"You heard me." The doctor said.

"But why in the world would he do something like that? Roxas isn't like that!"

"Hell if I know Axel, I wasn't there. You wanted to search for him so bad, now there is your lead."

"Is he in trouble? Are they pressing charges?" Axel asked quickly.

"Yes, he is in trouble, but no. It was only reported. Luckily for us no one but us knows who he is." Axel nodded letting out a grateful sigh.

"I'll bring him back."

"I'm sure you will."

**I would love to hear your feedback, and opinions. Let me know what you think!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry it has been so long. I got a ton of great reviews last time, and I'm very happy. You guys made want to write so bad, but final exams hit me and… well my neglect to this story paid off cuz I got A's… but I feel bad. **

**I hope this chapter is good enough to make up for making you guys wait when so many of you left reviews. I don't think I'll have the next ready in time for Christmas, so I hope you all enjoy the holidays. **

**Let me know if you find typos **

Back sore, feet aching. It got dark a while ago and the blond could only make a guess at the time. Most of the homes had shut their lights off. He hadn't stopped walking, and now his body was screaming for him to stop. Block after block, he had been walking in circles. He paused taking in a deep breath. His warmth exited his body coming out in a cloud of steam. The night's chill went through him, sitting down on the sidewalk he looked around. The house behind had a light on. He could hear a soft chatter from inside. Roxas lay down on the ground, half on the grass. He looked up at the house with wonder pondering what they could be doing inside in their home. A few figures walked past the window. He watched them exit one room, and followed them through the other window and watch them enter the adjacent room. He did this for some time before exhaustion made eyelids drop and a chill overtake him.

A feeling of weightlessness, he felt it before realizing there were hands on him. He was being lifted. His eyes opened groggily glancing up at the man holding him, he did not recognize him in the least but the sight of a familiar person did catch his eye. Xemnas.

"That's unnecessary officer. The facility takes responsibility for all crimes and damaged he committed; we will have to ask you to please return facility property." The officer holding the blonde teen looked back to his supervisor who gave a nod. Xemnas's car was heated and waiting. The doctor came over and laid the back of his hand on the blonde's forehead and let out an annoyed sound. He grabbed a blanket folded on the car floor and laid it over the sleeping boy. He then shut the door and looked to the officers. "Thank you for your time and assistance," He turned and looked at the elder couple standing worriedly in the doorway of their home. The silver headed doctor approached them and extended a hand for them to shake. "Thank you for you patients and consideration. We surely would not have been able to find him nearly as quickly without your help." The man shook his hand while the older woman scowled.

"What will happen to him? He is just a boy."

Xemnas nodded. "He has a safe and secure home at our facility. He will be taken back and treated with the utmost care. If you wish to further feed your curiosity you may make an appointment with Doctor Ansem. He can answer your questions." The elder couple looked at him with slight distress. Her husband bent down and whispered something to her and she nodded, turning and heading inside, he followed. Xemnas turned from their door and walked back over to his car. "We will be leaving, the staff is awaiting our arrival." The officers nodded and got back into their vehicles. Xemnas pulled away from the curb and headed back to the facility where the blonde was put into bed.

҉

Roxas smiled wrapped in a cocoon of soft warm blankets. He rolled over and reached, grabbing onto his pillow and bringing it to meet his chest. He could feel himself drifting back to sleep he had never felt a bed so soft, especially considering how cold and hard the ground had been. Roxas sat up strait, eyes wide. He looked around himself at his room. His heartbeat quickened and adrenalin picked up. He had no memory of returning to his room last night and felt a feeling of over powering dread swallow him. He pulled back his blankets, letting the bottoms of his feet touch the ground and stood, the chill of the wood shooting up his spine. It was seven o'clock. He swallowed back his tears, picking up on the sound of voices in the other room. He went to the door, cautiously opening it and rearing his head around the corner to see if he could see someone or pick up on the familiar voices. The voices silenced with the opening of his door. The blonde steadied himself taking deep breaths, and then walked out of his room to face what waited. Ansem stood with the arrival of the blonde. Doctor Michaels and Xemnas were against the wall.

"Roxas." Ansem's voice greeted warmly. "We have been waiting for you." The blonde took nervous steps towards the man who greeted him open armed. "Please take a seat." Roxas looked up at the pale man and then sat down, glancing between the golden eyes, the faces of the doctors accompanying him, and the floor. Ansem never sat. "You gave us all quiet a scare yesterday, running off like that, what were you thinking?" He kept it light, asking but not receiving an answer, Roxas looked up at him. Ansem frowned. "I have never had such disobedience." The male stated. His face grew more serious. "It has happened one to many times for my liking." There was another slight pause in speech. "It is quiet clear to us, as well as the council over seeing the project's success that you can not be trusted. For the success of this project we must keep you safe and on task. None of which can be accomplished with you gallivanting around and leaving on whims. You are risking your life and thus jeopardizing our work." Every hair rose on Roxas' body, his heart was pounding in his chest, and a hard lump had formed in his throat making it hard to swallow. "We have no choice but to take a more sever approach. One day you can lead a life of more freedom, but until we finish collecting our data that is not so." Ansem sighed and rubbed his left temple. Roxas never stopped looking at him with wide eyes, glancing back at Xemnas and Doctor Michaels. "We cannot trust you." The Doctor frowned, "I'm sorry Roxas, you have given me no choice." Roxas' brow knit together. Doctor Michaels brought his bag of medical supplies to the coffee table and opened it up, taking out a long needle and a tube containing a small silver sphere. Immediate terror hit hm. He stood quickly and whipped around to run. He wanted to go in his room, he wanted to barricade himself inside and keep everyone out. He had to buy time. Wait for Axel to come, Axel could stop them. Ansem quickly grabbed onto the blonde's wrist. Roxas looked back at the elder doctor and pulled roughly, jerking and struggling, but Ansem held strong and only gave him a disappointed look. Xemnas had moved around the table and approached the other from the front. In a moment of distraction from the other doctor, Ansem was able to pull Roxas, knocking his balance allowing the elder Doctor to fight him successfully to the ground. Roxas let out a scream, trashing his body to shake their grip, doing his best to kick the doctors, but Ansem held tight, tighter than a man his age should have been able to hold. He looked stern, it was as if he had done this before, fingers digging into Roxas' upper arms. Xemnas got down and held the blonde's knees down with his own, forcing him into submission under his weight. He muttered to Ansem to hold his forearms still. Roxas was going to vomit. The silver haired doctor took a syringe from the table. Roxas looked on with horror as he proceeded to fill the syringe liquid from a smaller blue vile. He let out another scream, calling for someone, anyone, to help him. He trashed his body, flinging his arm from the elder's grasp and knocking him in the face. Ansem, grabbed at his nose before growling and subduing the blondes flailing arms with the iron grip if his own. Roxas could barely move.

"No!" He fought harder against the Doctor's hands. "No, please stop! I'll be good, I won't do it again." His tears were beginning to choke him. The doctors carried on as if they never herd a thing. Michaels came round and helped Ansem, holding the blonde's right arm down painfully. "No!" his pleas repeated again and again. Ansem looked down at Roxas bringing a finger to his lips and signaling for silence. Roxas's tear fill eyes looked at him with dread he quieted a little, taking in sharp breath to calm himself. For a moment he thought they would let him go, blue eyes held by gold. Xemnas inserted the needle to the blonde's forearm.

Another rush of adrenalin surged through him. He let out scream. "Please stop!" he was fighting against them again. It took the power of all three men to keep him down. Xemnas took the syringe out, laying it on the table with clink that echoed throughout the blonde's head. Their weight came off him, and he was up. The world around him began to spin; he stumbled to the door, Ansem following behind. His body was warm, a tingling started in his fingers and began to spread, limp and heavy. His whole body seemed to slow down. Grasping the door handle weakly, he tried his best, pulling, pulling. He knees gave out from underneath him, falling back, and being caught in a pair of arms. Roxas could still feel the tears going down his face. Ansem lifted him into the air. It felt like years.

Everything moved slow, everything was loud. He could hear a chatting of the other Doctors though the sound all meshed together, jumbling in his ears and confusing him. Ansem laid him out on the couch, the cool leather surprising him, though he never made an outward reaction. Ansem came to his side and began to pull up his white shirt, getting it over his head and setting it on the table, letting the blonde's arms fall limp and lifeless like a doll's. He was at their mercy. Roxas whimpered, trying his best to lift his arm but merely getting it to twitch. Ansem looked at the extremity, and smiled at him. He ran a hand down his arm, stopping at the wrist and raised it over the blonde's head, exposing his armpit. Doctor Michaels then joint the elder who continued to hold his arm. He proceeded to prod the area with his fingers, going up to were the upper arm blended into the body stopping and dabbing the area with iodine. The touches seemed to linger though it was only a brief second or two. Roxas put all his energy into trying to tell the doctor to stop, but the effort fell flat, reducing it to a mere groan. Michaels turned and got his syringe from the table, the sphere lodged inside. Michaels came back to the clean area. Roxas could feel a sharp pressure and then a stinging pain. He scrunched his face up letting out another noise and cried softly, tears soaking his cheeks.

The hands were removed from his body and a blanket was laid over top of him. Ansem lifted his head and situated a pillow underneath it. Turning to address the others. The doctor's spoke for a minute or two. He could hear them collecting their things, opening the door. Footsteps, the lock, a click as it shut. He lay there numb till he eventually could wiggle his fingers and move slightly. He remained there, tears in his eyes, focused on the ceiling.

He was a rush of red down the hall. Throwing open the door to the glass room in an instant, rushing to the bedroom. Axel's brows furrowed at the bed empty. He came out and went around the couch. Relief washed over him and he dropped to his knees in front of the blonde, bringing his head to the leather as he laughed, about in tears. He ran his hand across the younger male's cheek, stopping to feel his forehead. Axel frowned at the temperature, moving then to shake the other and wake him.

"You had me worried I though you had run off again," He said. His voce was hardly above a whisper. The blonde didn't wake. "Roxas?" The blonde kept sleeping. Axel blinked. He noticed the blond, arm up awkwardly, underarm swollen and red. Axel reached his hand back onto the coffee table to help himself up, when his fingers brushed a vile. The redhead looked back, noticing the syringe. It clicked; he picked up the vile, reading over its blue label, and then looked back to Roxas sound asleep. He bit his lip, swallowing the lump in his throat. Axel got on his feet, steadying himself and then bent, scooping the blond up into his arms. He took him to the bedroom sitting down on the edge of the bed with the other. Roxas's eyes were still red from crying, face flushed. Axel wrapped his arms around him, pressing his forehead to Roxas's. His body trembled a little.

Roxas let out a grunt, closing his eyes quick. His head was pounding. Slowly he reopened his eyes, letting his pupils adjust painfully to the light. He was in his room again, arm lifted over his head still, but wrapped up in blankets. He went to move his arms, in hopes of propping himself up for a look around the room, there was someone to his side, but to his dismay he found his limbs to be heavy and functionless. Instead Roxas turned his head to the side meeting red. Axel was slumped over the edge of his bed, arms folded on the edge, head resting on them. The blonde licked his lips, his arm was sore. "Axel" Roxas's voice was stern. The redhead woke, taking in a sharp gasp, and opened his eyes.

"Roxas." The redhead picked his head up, beaming at the other. He sat up, "Roxas, I was so worried about you. How are you?" The blond said nothing and averted his eyes. Axel looked the other over. He lightly lifted the blanket from the blonde's arm. "What did they do?" The redhead's warm fingers brushed the reddened area causing the younger to shudder. The skin was burning hot. "Can you move?"

"I'm heavy," he spat.

"You will be for awhile. Do you want to sit up?" No answer. Axel waited, the other kept his gaze elsewhere. "Why did you leave?" He asked. It took him a moment to work up the courage.

Roxas turned and stared for a moment. "That's easy." He stated. "To get away from you."

"Are you that angry with me? Look, it's not what you think at all. Tifa and I, we're nothing."

"Then why did you kiss her?"

The redhead paused. "I didn't, she kissed me." His brow furrowed. "Tifa and I are collogues, she just got the wrong message. Roxas come on, there has to be more to it than that, a kiss is nothing… besides, you and I are… friends…" Axel said.

Roxas felt tears returning to his eyes. "A kiss means a lot to me…"

The blonde turned from him. Axel got up, hesitant; he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "It's more than that though. What else has been bothering you?" Axel asked after a moment, he reached and gently coaxed the other to turn his head. "Tell me everything."

Roxas looked at him taking in the other's green eyes and holding his gaze. "I hate it here," he eventually muttered. "I want to leave- I know I'm close," he sighed, "I'm done with my history courses, so I should finish with the others soon but," Roxas shrugged. "I feel like I'll never get away." A pause. "Don't you ever think about walking through those doors and never coming back? Of course not," the blonde rolled his eyes when the other failed to answer. "But you haven't lived here your whole life, so how could you relate…" Roxas said looking off to the side. "The though of you preferring to spend time with professor Tifa instead of me I guess really set me off, and that kiss… No one here really cares about me…I saw the door and ran with the intention of never coming back."

"Roxas, what are you talking about," His brow creased, "I care about you. You know that."

Roxas looked at him coldly. "A kiss is nothing. You said so yourself."

Axel stuttered a moment, moth open, trying to respond. His expression changed. "Don't ever do that again." Roxas looked him over coldly. "Don't ever worry me again. I had no idea where you were. With all the problems recently I wouldn't have been surprised if someone hurt you."

Roxas rolled his eyes, "Ansem already lectured me on how I put his project in danger. You can spare me the rant Axel."

"Don't, Roxas just listen to me okay. You are too precious to have lost. You mean too much to so many people. I can't risk losing you Roxas." Roxas sat there staring at him, face unchanged. "I'm sorry I can't always be here, I'm sorry we can't be what you want . But I do care about you Roxas. I care about you more than anyone else in my life."

"Yeah I bet I-"

"God damn it Roxas, listen to me!" The other shut his mouth and blinked at the redhead. "I have been waiting for you for so long Roxas. If I lost you, I'm not sure what I would do. So, don't you dare do that again Roxas. Don't you dare."

The blonde paused; tears had formed in his eyes again. "If I'm so important to you Axel then why weren't you here?" The tears dripped down his cheeks. "Why didn't you stop them, you should have been here to help me!" Axel furrowed his brow. He leaned forward to try to grab him and sooth him but the blonde turned his back towards the redhead. Roxas was now crying angrily barley able to form words. "They," he started, hiccupping between words, "Held me down and put a needle in my arm," He swallowed, "Because I tried to get away. I didn't want them to- to…" The blonde sniffled. "They put this in me." His hand was under his arm, fingers tracing the lump under his skin. "And I can feel it and it's disgusting." He cried harder now and Axel quickly captured the blonde in his arms, rubbing his back.

"Shhh," Axel held the other close. "It's alright Roxas, I'm here now and nothing will hurt you." The redhead closed his eyes leaning his head affectionately against the blonde's.

Roxas took a few shaky breaths, "I can never leave this place. No matter where I go they will always be able to find me." Roxas whimpered. "I'll never be free."

Axel laid his cheek against the top of the blonde's head, "You will be Roxas."

Axel stormed the halls that led towards Ansem's office. Axel's hand was poised ready to knock on the oak door when it opened, and he was greeted with the surprised face of the doctor.

"Axel?" He greeted, his posture and voice ridged. "I assume you have something to discuss with me, you look provoked." The elder doctor gave a sigh and stepped to the side allowing the redheaded male access to his office.

"I am, Ansem." Axel stated as he took a seat in one of the leather chairs. "What did you do to him?" The elder doctor stayed steady, waiting for Axel to answer his own question. The redhead's eye narrowed. "Why the hell would he need a tracking device? He is traumatized, you should have waited until I was there!"

Ansem smiled at the other, he leaned against his desk. "With all due respect Doctor, with light of the boy's current situation he should be happy that's all that happened to him. Besides why would it matter if you were present, you failed to bring him back and console him before hand, what makes you think he trusts you any more than I?"

Axel paused his eyes narrowed, "That's bullshit Ansem, you know he would have been more comfortable if I had been there. But you fucking sedated him! He's not an animal! There was no reason for that you bastard, he's a child!"

Ansem smiled darkly at him. "Now I should be the one telling that to you Doctor. He is a child after all…" Axel's glare wavered and a blush spread over his cheeks. "Don't think I haven't noticed Axel, the way you look at him. You're lucky we let you around him." Ansem smirked.

"Why the hell would you have stopped his history courses, a-and don't give me the shit reason that he had learned everything."

"So quick to change the subject I see," Ansem grinned, "Doctor the answer of course is that he had learned all he needed."

"Bullshit, what really happened?"

Ansem sighed, rolling his eyes, "The subject was questioning his own rights."

"Roxas, his name is Roxas. Don't you dare call him that."

"It was simply a reminder." Axel ground his teeth; it took every bit of restraint he had to keep himself from striking the other male. "I believe he has been questioning it for awhile now, but he voiced them with connection to historical context. You were absent then and have been for quiet some time, I was sure you would be right on my case when it happened, but some time has passed since we removed them."

"Did you explain his rights to him?"

"I would prefer not to be the barer of bad news, Axel." The elder doctor stated. He looked bored.

"So you plan to just let him continue working with the idea put in his head that he will get to leave when he is done?"

"If that's the motive behind his excellence than so be it. I don't remember ever installing such an absurd fantasy in his mind. Maybe you shouldn't be pointing the finger at me." The redhead's brows furrowed. "Besides I am quiet sure Doctor Xemnas already took care of that. Didn't you know? He told the subject he would study under him after he finished classes." Axel's look darkened. "As for any silly idea he has worked out in his head, I forbid you to change it. Before our incident he had been working extremely hard and I would like the prosperous results to continue. If there is any change in progress I'll know who to blame." Axel glared at the other.

"You're a bastard."

The elder doctor scowled at him, "How so Axel? I have raised and clothed him; he has a safe and productive life here. You know first hand the extent of my generosity. It's always the same with you subjects. Give you a little bit of freedom and you think you have the right to do what ever you please." Ansem sent the other a hard glare. "Learn your place Axel, I would hate to have to remind you of it." The man was bitter, he went to the door and held it, "Leave Axel, I've grown tired of you presence. Please do mind you manners when you come in to work tomorrow." The redheaded doctor stood quickly, bending and causing sharp pain. No noise that went along with the movement, but the elder nonetheless caught the expression. Axel was standing, about to push past the man when Ansem caught him by the wrist. Axel gave him a glare and jerked his arm away, but the other held tight, stepping in front of him to block his path, and taking a hand to push back his lab coat and lift his shirt. Axel flushed looking away, waiting. The doctor inspected the area. "Just because the pain is dulled doesn't mean you can be careless." His hands pulled away and he yanked the other's shirt back down. "Those pills would be the first to go." Ansem stated. "Remember that." The redhead sent him another harsh look, going around the elder doctor.

"I'm staying with Roxas tonight." He said flatly. Ansem's eyes narrowed, but he turned and entered his office without a word. The redhead stood in the hall, doors closed on either side of him. He waited a moment and then continued to move forward down the hall, walking without thinking. His legs knew where he was going.

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**I'm fighting with the next chapter's content so I'm open to suggestions and I would lovelovelove to hear your opinion, bad and good. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Oh god. Ready for some fluff? I really owe you guys the hugest apology, I took forever to edit this and all it needed was a reread… for my defense though I did just start my first week of my second semester and the animation class requires a lot of work… oh well enjoy. **

He had slept through the night soundly. Axel had already been back home, slipping in and out, showering and dressing. He shut the door to the blonde's bedroom soft, as he reentered, coming in and sitting back by his bedside.

"Wake up, it's almost noon."

"Axel?" Roxas groaned, his brows wrinkled and he looked with half lidded eyes at the redhead. "What are you doing?" Axel relaxed and shrugged.

"I told you I would make it up to you, didn't I?"

"What?"

"I'm going to make it up to you."

"What are you talking about?"

Axel smiled. "What do you want to do?"

He glared at the redhead. "Sleep." He turned over onto his other side.

Axel smiled at him, "Feeling better?"

"I'm sore."

"You'll have that." He looked around the room, "The drugs are through your system now. So you can walk around." He didn't move. "Why don't you come out and have something to eat. I'm sure they left you food." Roxas picked himself up unsteady. He looked back at Axel.

"I'll be out in a minute."

Axel perked up when the door to Roxas's room opened. He came out, clean and clothed, hair still damp. The blonde sat down on the other end of the loveseat. There was a plate with his lunch in front of him.

"Just so you know. I'm still angry at you."

"Fair enough." Axel smiled at him. The other leaned forward and took his plate.

"So you're feeling better?"

"As good as I'm going to get." Roxas said between bites.

Axel nodded "How about your arm, does it hurt?" Axel asked. He shook his head. "Do you mind if I have a look?" Roxas set his plate down. Axel came closer. The blonde never looked at him and let the redhead raise his arm and pull the sleeve of his shirt down. Axel trailed his fingers along the mark. It was heavily bruised and the blonde flinched with the touches. "I'm Sorry Roxas."

"The whole time, I wanted you to come stop them."

"I didn't even know they found you until it was to late." Roxas fidgeted, he nodded.

"What is it?" It was a whisper.

"Tracking device."

He nodded.

"Was there anything you wanted to do?" Axel said after a moment, the blonde wasn't going to speak.

"…I like games… and movies."

Axel smiled at him. "If you don't mind waiting, I could get us some games to play."

Roxas looked him over. "Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean?" the redhead's grin receded.

"You're acting different."

The redhead just looked at him. "I want to make it up to you." He stared. "Let me go get some stuff to do. It will be fun." Roxas nodded. He pick up his plate again and poked at the food a little. Axel stood and left the room, leaving the blonde to turn on the television and wait.

It had been nearly a half an hour when Axel came back into the room carrying an armful of bags. The blonde raised an eyebrow at the redhead as he staggered into the room about dropping the box on the table.

"I thought maybe you had run into Tifa or something."

The redhead frowned. "I wasn't sure what you would like. I could have just grabbed the chess board from upstairs but I didn't want to get my ass kicked." Roxas smiled at that, hiding it by immediately leaning forward and opening a bag. "They're kid games, by hey, I figured you wouldn't mind."

"It would be more your level anyways."

"Ha ha, very funny."

Roxas laughed to himself and pulled out a game. "Want to start with this one?"

Axel looked it over. "Yeah sure." He sat down on the floor on the other side of the coffee table and moved the bags, setting up the game and reading the rules and instructions. A roll of the dice and turn of the card lead to game after game until Aerith came to the door with Roxas's dinner. They had been laughing, Axel, as he figured, had the worst of luck at games and had fallen for a trap.

She left the plate beside them on the table, and greeting them both with a smile as she scurried in and out.

"Go ahead and eat." Axel said, he had come around and sat on the couch behind him.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

The redhead shrugged, "I'll eat at home." Roxas's smile fell. He nodded and began eating. "Unless… you would like me to stay again."

The blond gave a shrug, "No, it's okay. I understand that you can't"

"If you want me to Roxas, I will."

Immediately Roxas smiled, "You can do that? Won't Ansem get mad?"

"Yeah but I don't care." Roxas jumped up, and wrapped his arms around Axel's midsection as tight as he could.

"Thank you Axel."

The redhead put a hand to the blonde's head. "No problem." Roxas released him and came up onto the couch next to him. "I have to make a phone call."

The blonde gave him a nod. The redhead stood and had walked towards the bedroom with his phone. Roxas could hear the beeps as he dialed the number. He began eating quiet.

"Hey Riku. Yeah I know your busy, yes. Look I need a favor… because I figured you would help me out." The blonde smiled at the conversation. "Look asshole, just listen to me. I'm staying overnight at the facility again and I need you to get Kairi or someone to bring me a change of clothes for tomorrow. PLEASE make them decent. I have appointments back to back… Yes. Alright then. Have him tell the lady at the front desk that he is there to deliver something to me. Thanks Riku." The redhead hang up the phone. Roxas brought his legs up so he sat indian style with his food, looking and smiling at the redhead as he came back into his view.

"How'd it go?"

Axel smirked, and laughed a little to himself. "Rather well actually. Whenever I talk to him I expect to be harassed, at least a little." The blonde smiled at the other. Axel came back around and sat next to the blonde. He looked over at the blonde's plate and frowned. "Man did they skimp out tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean look at this. There is hardly anything on this plate." Axel sighed.

Roxas blinked. Some of his food was already gone but he had never thought of it. "Really?" he asked. "Its always this much."

"Really?" Axel gave him a saddened look. "Jezz I guess I never really noticed."

Axel looked at the other a moment, "Don't bother eating that. I'm going to get us some real food."

"This…isn't real?" he asked.

Axel gave a chuckle, "I meant better food."

"I would like that."

Axel stood, "I'll be back Roxas. Sora is coming over with some clothes. I'll be quick." Roxas just nodded as he left, he leaned forward and set his plate down. The redhead had already disappeared down the hall.

Roxas sat back against the chair, turning on his television while he waited. There was a knock at the door. A nurse came in and had beside her a brunette boy.

"You have a visitor." Xion stated. She let Sora pass, stopping and nodding to the woman.

"Thanks Xion. When Axel is back he will escort him out, so you don't have to wait." She nodded and left. Roxas just looked the other over, eyes stopping at the bag. "Is that for Axel?" He pointed at it.

The brunette nodded. "Yeah." He stepped further into the room. "I'm Sora. We met once. Do you remember me?"

"You work with Riku, right?" The brunette nodded. "Yeah I remember you. You can leave the bag on the table. Axel went to get food. He will be back soon." Sora came over and sat at the other end of the couch.

"So, uh… how is it here?"

"What?"

Sora smiled. "I said how is it here? Do you like it?"

"Oh," Roxas looked down, "Uh, yeah… It's great I guess."

Sora looked him over, "Huh, really? You're not selling it." Roxas looked at him surprised. "What's eating you?"

"I just got into some trouble."

"Oh? Riku didn't tell me." He shrugged. 'What happened?"

"I ran away."

The brunette frowned. "Really?" He leaned forward in interest, "Why?"

"A few reasons." Roxas gave a shrug. "Not really something I want to talk about."

Sora smiled, "Ah, fine with me." He paused, "You should give me a tour?"

Roxas raised a brow, "What?"

"A tour. You know, show me around the place."

"Oh," he got to his feet, "Uh yeah, sure…this is the living room of course," Sora got up and followed him down the hall. Roxas went to the end opened the door and flipped the light, "This is my gym."

"Whoa."

The blonde closed the door and turned to his bedroom. "And my room, the bathroom is over there." Sora smiled giving him nod.

"Not bad, kinda small but oh well." He gave a shrug.

"Boring." Roxas said. Sora just nodded. He walked into the room and looked around stopping when he felt his phone vibrate. He read the message. Roxas perked up and followed in after him. "Is that your phone?" Sora looked at him, curious but nodded. "It let's you talk to people?"

"Uh…yes?" Roxas looked on. "Do you not have one?" the blonde shook his head no. Sora raised a brow, "Oh, well okay then. He handed the phone over to the younger male. Roxas held it, turning it over in his hands a few times. He saw a button the was in the shape of a phone and clicked it, it had a few images of people, Roxas imagined they were people Sora knew and continued to scroll through until he found Riku, whom he recognized, and selected the photo. Immediately it began to dial. Sora had wondered off and was poking at the blue screen mounted on the wall.

"Sora, what is it doing?" Sora looked over his shoulder at the blonde and walked to look at the phone.

"Oh!" he said quick, "Here hand it to me." Roxas let him take the phone from his hand. "Hey Riku. Yeah I didn't mean to call you. No no, Roxas did it on accident- hey I'll see you soon we are just waiting for Axel. Mhm. Bye." The brunette clicked the end button.

"Sorry about that."

"No you're fine."

The blonde nodded. He went over and took a seat on his bed. "Hey Sora," he said after awhile. "What is Riku to you?" Sora paused a moment at the question.

"Well, he is my boyfriend."

Roxas looked up at him, "Really? He loves you?"

"Well," He thought, "No, I don't think I could go that far." He gave the blonde a reassuring smile, "But we really care about each other- Well it's not really that either I guess. See I haven't known him for very long at all. And love doesn't just happen but-" He scrunched his face up, trying to find the right words. He took a moment and then readdressed the blonde who stared at him confused, "Love at first sight is for stories, Riku and I haven't yet fell in love, but it could happen…" Sora bit his lip. "True love is rare, you might not even know it at first. It takes time." Sora shrugged. "But the world has a way of working things out. And if you find them, the world won't let them pass you by." Roxas smiled at that.

"What you and Riku have… it must be really nice." Sora opened his mouth about to speak when he was interrupted by a vibration from his phone. Both males looked down at it. The brunette picked it up and started clicking away. Roxas watched curiously. "So, uh…what happens when you click that button?" He pointed to the screen.

"It opens the internet browser."

"OH," Roxas looked up at him beaming. "I read about that somewhere but I've never got the chance to see it. Would you show me?"

The other blinked for a moment and smiled, "Yeah sure thing," he laughed selecting the button and opening the internet. He then continued and typed in a search for images of kittens. Roxas gave an automatic response of, "Awe," which dragged out the longer he looked at the screen.

All Axel could manage to do was smile as he entered the room. "I'm back." He said. The redhead walked over to look at the phone. Both of the boys looked towards the tall redhead. "Well isn't that adorable."

"Welcome back," The redhead looked to the blue eyes.

Sora watched the pair, looking from one set of eyes to the other. "I'm going to head back now." He told them.

"So soon?" Roxas asked.

Sora simply nodded. "I need to get back before the shop closes. Its' going to be getting dark soon."

"Is it busy today?" Axel asked, "I'm surprised he let you leave."

Sora shrugged, "Nah its fine. He didn't seem to care much. And it gave me a break." The boy stood. "But hey," He looked to Roxas, "I'll see you around sometime." The blonde smiled at him.

"Yeah, you too, Sora."

"Kay, well I'll be back soon Roxas. I have to escort him back out." Axel groaned.

"I'll be here, so don't worry."

"That doesn't mean much coming from you." He rolled his eyes causing the other to blush and shrug his shoulders once more. The blonde stood, and they filed out to the room, going down the hall. Roxas plopped himself down on the couch, flicking on the television and peeking over the edge of the couch to wave to the pair. Axel unlocked the door and allowed Sora to exit, stepping out and pulling the door shut. It clicked behind them.

Sora waited for the redhead to pull the key from the door and shove them in his pocket. They walked down the hall in silence for a while till they passed the redhead's office. "That one's my office," The redhead bragged, pointing to the side as they passed. Sora looked and smiled.

"Riku was right, it is weird thinking that you're some big shot here. You seem so…" He pondered the word, "You're not as serious as I would assume a Doctor like you would be."

The redhead shrugged, "I'm young." He answered. "Maybe when I'm as old as some of these guys it will be different."

The brunette shook his head, "No for some reason I doubt that." Axel laughed at him, They stopped in the lobby.

"I'm sure you can find your way now, right?"

Sora nodded, "I'm pretty sure I'll manage."

"Alright then," Axel smiled, "Thanks for the help Sora, tell Riku I say thanks too. I'm going to head back."

Sora smiled. "You love him."

The redhead paused. "What?" He asked, wondering if he had heard the other right.

"You love Roxas."

Axel furrowed his brows. "Why do you say that?"

Sora smiled, "I watched you guys. It's hard to miss."

"…I was with him for all of three seconds."

The brunette raised and eyebrow at him. "So?"

Axel sighed, "Sora, Roxas and I don't have a relationship like that. I look after him. You could call us friends, maybe even go as far as brothers. But Roxas and I would never be lovers."

Sora shrugged. "I know that, but that doesn't mean you don't love him." The redhead stood dumbfounded. His brows were furrowed together as he looked down at the short male.

"It's there Axel. I don't know why you are trying to hide it, but if that's how you're going to be, try not to hurt Roxas in the process. He loves you too. I saw it in his eyes, every time he looks at you." Axel's face relaxed, he stared at the other. He made no effort to speak. "I'll see you around Axel." The burnet said after awhile.

The redhead was startled from his own thoughts, looking the other over and giving a slow nod. "Yeah, likewise." Sora turned from him, waving with a quick lift of his hand and walking towards the Exit. "Jesus," Axel huffed under his breath.

The redhead passed the other Doctors in the hallway, stopping at the end and entering the blonde's room. Roxas was waiting. He stood from the couch, walking around leaning against the back of the seat. His shoes were on.

"Axel, I know that it's a long shot, but do you think we could go do something? You know… outside?" The redhead blinked he opened his mouth to answer but was abruptly interrupted. "It's just that it's still sunny out… well, sort of sunny and I thought that maybe we could stay out till sunset. Then come right back." He paused, "And you know, I've never seen a sun set… so… do you think… we could?"

Axel let his green eyes be sucked into the endless depths of the blue before him. They held each other's stare for a moment, interrupted when Axel let out a sigh. "Rox, I highly doubt that they would allow me to take you anywhere. You are in trouble. You know that, right?"

The blonde cast his gaze downward, nodding, hands fidgeting. "I just thought that… it would be nice." He mumbled to himself.

The redhead bit his lip a moment and then sighed. "Jesus, first Sora, and now you. Everyone seems to be having their way with me tonight!" He gave the other a playful smile, making the blonde perk up. "I'll see what I can do I guess. Xemnas will have to hold onto his old-man britches and let us have some fun." Roxas's frown turned into a huge smile, spreading across his face. He shook his head rapidly causing the other male to chuckle to himself. Hesitant, he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, bracing himself for what would await on the other line. He dialed Xemnas' number, looking to Roxas who only egged him on with an over zealous expression. The number was dialed and he brought his phone to his ear. It beeped a few times and to Axel's surprise when strait to voice mail. The redhead furrowed his brows. The answering machine tone beeped and Axel began to speak. "Hey there Xemnas, I was just calling to ask your permission for something, but since you ignored my call, I'll just take it as a yes. I'm going to take Roxas out, outside I mean, and before you get your panties in a bunch, I plan to only take him out back behind the library. That's its so bye." When the redhead looked back towards Roxas he though he would have to pick the blondes jaw up from the floor, the redhead let out a laugh.

Roxas blinked, dumbfounded, "I can't… You just…" He gave the other a worried look.

"Hey, it's fine Roxas. He can huff and puff all he wants when he finds out, but he can't hurt me." Roxas smiled at him, moving from his place. "Shall we?" Axel motioned towards the door.

The blonde had no reluctance to exit his room. He walked out first, not scared, eyes on the library door. He waited for Axel to close the door behind him and move ahead to open and allow the other to pass into the room. The sun wasn't setting yet, though they only had a good ten minutes before it would disappear westward. The door was left to click shut behind them on its own. Axel had already moved beside the blonde, approaching the glass side of the facility, and going to the door. He pushed it open, letting in the cool air. October was coming and it was growing a little bit to cold for the redhead's tastes. Roxas beamed, his hands immediately went to his arms to hold himself.

"Winter is coming." He said, looking up at the redhead. Axel nodded, motioning for the other to go. Roxas stepped out of the room, looking around at the darkening world.

"Damn," the man frowned as he looked up towards the sky. "I forgot that this is the East side of the building." Roxas gave him a weak smile. "Sorry Rox."

"Nah don't be. I'll see it some other time. I'm just happy to be outside again." The blonde circled round, looking at the ground and eventually walked father out away from the building. Axel followed close, nervous, but Roxas simply sat down once he was a few feet away. He let himself face the trees, looking at the world as it neared night. Axel sat beside him, making himself comfortable and then glancing over at the blonde who had already laid back in the grass. He had stretched himself out in the cool green blades, smiling at no one particular behind closed lids. "I wish I could sleep out here." He sighed. "I feel relaxed. Like I'm suppose to be here on the ground."

Axel looked up the boy's small frame, though the boy had clearly defined muscles, he was still petit. "You were just last night, I'm pretty sure you would have been cold, wet, and miserable if Xemnas hadn't found you."

"Yeah, so now I'm warm, dry, miserable, and trapped. I'm so much better off." The other about growled rolling his eyes and rolling to his side. He focused on the blades of grass in front of him, plucking a piece and rolling it between his fingers.

Axel let his eyes fall closed for a moment. He took a hand and placed it on the blonde's shoulder, he leaned over the blonde and whispered, "But now I can sleep sound since I know that you're safe." The blonde picked his head up looking into the other's emerald eyes he turned his body, rolling onto his back. They were locked in each other's eyes, frozen as if time had stopped. The blonde licked his lips, lifting himself so that Axel's breath ghosted over the soft pink skin. The redhead's hand trailed up and touched the other's back, holding him there. Roxas could feel Axel inching towards him, millimeters apart from touching Roxas' eyes fluttered shut, but their lips didn't touch. In an instant the redhead's arms wrapped around him, pulling the blonde up and into an embrace. Accepting the alternative Roxas returned the embrace and let his fingers play with the ends of Axel's hair.

"Axel!" The two, jumped back from each other so quick that the blonde managed to topple over backwards. His eyes widened as he looked at the silver headed man. Axel stood brushing himself off.

"Xemnas," Axel said, holding his head high. "I see you got my message."

"Don't give me that shit Axel," The other growled. "What is the meaning of this?! He is to be punished, not taken back out. And on top of that you," Xemans took a deep breadth, glaring he lowered his voice, "As a practicing Doctor you should know your boundaries. But you have broken them again. Your usefulness is wearing thin doctor." Axel stood, mirroring the glare the silver male sent him.

The blonde got to his feet, nervous, he approached the pair of doctors, touching Axel's arm. "Can we go inside now?"

Axel glance down at him. He returned his attention to Xemnas. "Yeah Rox, We can." Never taking his gaze off the elder doctor he allowed the blonde to lead him away with a light tug to his arm. They stepped inside, Xemnas closed the door behind them. As they exited the library the silver haired doctor stopped them. "He is to go straight to bed when he gets in there. If you wish to continue your little sleeping arrangement then I suggest you obey my orders. If anything happens otherwise I'll be sure to never allow it again. And I will know. Do I make myself clear?"

Axel looked from the silver male to the boy by his side. "Goodnight Xemnas." He said, turning at once and walking to the door, fiddling with the keys. The doctor watched the pair. "Come one Roxas." Axel said softly bringing a hand to his shoulder to turn him around. Roxas entered the room Axel behind him. He shut the door, leaving the doctor out in the hall alone.

Both had made a beeline for the blonde's bedroom wishing to be out of the doctor's cold gaze. Axel shut the door behind him and let out a long sigh. "Well that could have turned out better." He ran a hand through his hair and sent the blonde a smirk.

Roxas shrugged, he could still feel the redhead's warm breath against his lips, "Yeah," he answered. Axel kept smiling, shaken by the other doctor, he looked the blonde over. Roxas had taken a seat at the end of the bed.

"Rox, I'm going to head out and grab some blankets and a pillow." He said motioning with a thumb back at the door.

"Don't bother." Roxas looked up, "Arieth just put the ones you used when I was sick up in the bathroom closet." Axel blinked turning to the bathroom door.

"Oh," He walked over to the door, flicking the light on and went inside. Roxas waited, watching him. The redhead gave the door a kick and forced it to open more, emerging from the bathroom with an arm full of blankets and a pillow. He juggled the items to his left hand and then turned off the light and kicked the door back closed behind him. He dropped the load of blankets at the floor beside the blonde's bed.

"You can sleep in the bed with me," He looked back behind him. "There is enough room, I can sleep back by the wall."

Axel gave him an apologetic look, "Xemnas would kill me. He gets all huffy over things like that. He doesn't even want me being your friend."

Roxas frowned, "It wasn't like that, it was just a…friendly suggestion."

The redhead reached forward and messed the blonde's hair, letting a sigh break the silence. "You need to get in bed at least," Axel rolled his eyes, " Before Xemnas comes in here like a raging wolf and yells at us again." Roxas shook his head annoyed with the elder doctor, but he couldn't suppress the smile tugging at his lips as he looked up to Axel.

"Alright." The blonde agreed, going to his drawers and pulling out some clothes. Axel had dropped onto his knees and was laying the thicker blanket on the floor not paying attention to the blonde's actions until he saw the other's pants drop around his ankles in his peripheral vision. His eyes couldn't help but wander up the others frame, regardless of his mental protests. He watched the toned muscle of the blonde's back flex and relax with the movement of his arms, which worked on folding his clothes and putting them away. Roxas stepped out of his pants, bending and picking them up, causing the redhead to bite his lip. He shook his head quick, taking his eyes away from the other's figure and back down to his bed. His hands were shaking and he cursed himself.

"Hey Roxas," Axel didn't lift his gaze to meet the others, but he could tell the other had turned to looks at him, fighting the urge to examine the boy from the front.

"Hm?"

"I'm going to shower, okay."

"Go for it, I'll be out here." Roxas plopped himself down on the bed and smiled at the other, frowning when he noticed the redhead wasn't looking at him. "Hey Axel, is something wrong?" The blonde furrowed his brows and bent a little to look at the others face.

Axel glanced up and smiled, swallowing back his embarrassment and hoping his face wasn't as flushed as he thought it was. "Yeah Rox, everything is fine." He stood quick causing the other to sit back and smile at him.

"Okay." He said slowly.

"I'll just be a minute. Get in bed and turn off the light so Xemnas doesn't come storming in." Roxas nodded at him, Axel had already sped off into the bathroom. The redhead shut the door, leaning back against it and letting out a long sigh of relief, cursing himself for letting his hormones get the better of him he went to click the lock on the bathroom door, realizing that there was none. The redhead preyed the blonde wouldn't come in, though there really was not reason he should need to. Axel took a moment to remove his clothes, running the water a bit colder than he would normally prefer. He let the water wash down over himself, closing his eyes and standing limply in the chilled spray. He turned the water off after, taking a moment to dry off his cold body. He put his under shirt, boxers and pants back on, leaving the signature doctors coat over the edge of the sink. He exited the room flicking the light off and closing the door as softly as possible. The blonde was laying in the bed, he hadn't stirred since Axel exited allowing the redhead to conclude that he was asleep. Axel sat down at the side of the others bed. He could see due to the blue illumination of the room. Roxas' blue eyes were lidded and his lips open slightly as he slept. The blonde was cute and the redhead couldn't help himself and brought one chilled hand to caress the other's cheek, brushing the stray hair from his face. The redhead leaned in and kissed his forehead lightly. "Goodnight Roxas." The other stirred a little a light groan came from the sleeping form, but he never woke. Axel smiled and laid down as close as he could get to the others bed and closed his eyes. There was still a dull ache in his ribs as the medication wore off, forcing him to lay on his other side. Sleep took him quickly.

**I rushed trough the end cuz I'm going to a drag show soon… so let me know if you saw mistakes.**

**In addition I have been listening to Mysterious Universe so much that as I reread this it was played in my head as if narrated by Benjamin Grundy… what I sad life I lead…**

**Hope you liked it, please review :3**


	21. Chapter 21

**Well, for me, this is a very quick turn around. Here it is, a new chapter. I rushed through the editing (as always) and in the second half if you run into weird names just know I used that segment for a creative writing class and had changed the names at one point. Let me know right away if I missed any so I can fix that. Ready for more Fluffffffffff!?**

**6/15/13 I edited this… but only a bit, I fear I'll need to reread this story 100 times before it can be good lol…**

Roxas's eyes fluttered open, he took in a breath, exhaling as the room came into focus. The room was the same as always, dark and blue from the screen. There was a soft puff of breath, the blonde perked up, looking to where the sound had came from. He had half expected the redhead to leave him once he had fallen asleep and was surprised to see the other so calm by the side of his bed, eyes closed and face relaxed. It wasn't until now that he realized that the other almost never donned a relaxed expression. He was always thinking, or worrying. The blonde watched for a moment at the still redhead. He smiled. Peeling his blankets back slowly as if the rustling of sheet could wake the other from his slumber, Roxas slid to the end of his bed and lowered his feet to the ground. He walked around to the back of the redhead and sat down beside him. He lifted the covers and slid under. Unlike the blonde Axel still had his t-shirt and pants on. Roxas rand a hand down the others back affectionately and snuggled to his back, placing his forehead between his shoulder blades. He smelled like cinnamon. A smile crept to Roxas's lips. He let his mind drift with the intoxicating smell and take him back into sleep.

҉

The morning came. Axel opened his bright green eyes, startling. Sometime in the night he had rolled over so his back was against the underside of Roxas' bed. Surprised to feel the weight of another pressed against him. He was holding the blonde close, the other's face pressed flush against the fabric of the redhead's shirt. Axel brought a hand up and brushed the blond locks out of his eyes. The boy was sound asleep. Axel bent, leaning down as if to kiss him but stopped, shuttering. A pain shot through his side and the redhead let out a grunt. Not knowing the time he assumed it was well past the time to take his medication. He gave the blonde one last look and sighed, rolling onto his back to alleviate the pain. Roxas let out a groan from the lack of contact with the other, opening his eyes and looking at the redhead. He let out a yawn and then smiled with half lidded eyes at the other.

"Good morning."

Roxas eyes widened. "Sorry," The blonde blurted, sitting up from the other and looking him over embarrassed.

The redhead looked at him curiously, "For what?"

"For sleeping next to you. I know I was suppose to sleep in my own bed, but last night… I don't even really remember doing it." The younger male was flustered causing the redhead to give him a reassuring smile.

"Nah it's fine Roxas." He leaned forward and used a finger to pick the others chin up to look him in the eyes. "I was cold last night anyways. You helped me out." Roxas blushed, only causing the redheads grin to widen.

"Oh… Okay." Roxas said. Relief washed over him.

The pair jumped, startled by the sound of the screen beeping furiously. The redhead turned his eyes to the device, getting up slowly and walking to silence it. He grinned.

"Guess we woke up in time, I would have hated to hear that first thing this morning." The blonde rolled his eyes.

"You have no idea how awful it is."

Axel shook his head. "I can imagine." He looked back to the screen and read the time. "Jump in the shower blondie so I can get dressed out here." Roxas looked to the clock.

"It's early, but okay." He pouted, grabbing a change of clothes and heading into the bathroom and running a shower. Axel looked around, spying the plastic bag that had been kick onto the floor at the foot of Roxas' bed sometime in the night. He picked the bag up setting on the blonde's bed and sitting to open it and sort through the contents. Riku had been kind in his clothing selection. There was a simple maroon t-shirt, and a pair of kaki dress pants. The redhead had to wear his coat around the facility as well. Axel smiled as he reached into the back, pulling out the last item. It was his bottle of pills. He gave a sigh of relief thanking Riku for looking out for him, and immediately opened the cap and took one, swallowing it dry. His ribs ached due to the uncomfortable position during the night. Axel preyed the drugs would take effect soon. After sitting a moment he stood and decided to begin to change before the other came out from the bathroom. He fished through his clothes looking for a clean pair of boxers, standing in just his underwear in the center of the room. The redhead knit his bros together.

"Bastard," the redhead cussed. He shook his pants out, then his shirt and nothing came from it. He glared staring at nothing particular, thinking. Of course, Riku couldn't let him off that easy. The redhead herd the shower turn off. The redhead's face flushed. He needed to find underwear and quick, his eyes went strait to the blonde's drawers. He glanced back that the bathroom door, the blonde humming to himself inside and then made a dash for the younger males underwear drawer, finding a pair of white boxers that looked much to small for the redhead's wide hips. Rolling his eyes and mentally cursing the silver male Axel slid them on, haveing trouble getting them up past his thighs. They were tight, but fit good enough where the redhead didn't fear losing circulation to his legs. The redhead then went around quick and pulled on his pants and t-shirt in time for the blonde to open the door all clean and fresh. He smiled at the redhead and then paused looking at the open drawer confused. Axel followed Roxas's gaze, turning beat red upon realization on what the blonde was looking at.

"Uh…"

"Roxas I can explain," The redhead said, "Riku didn't pack any so I… I just sort of…"

He raised a brow "…You're wearing my underwear?" Roxas didn't know a person's face could turn so red, looking at the ginger he was in disbelief. He stared at first so much that the redhead thought he would turn to a puddle on the floor, and then he broke out in a fit of laughter. Axel blinked at him, not sure what to say or do. "Y-you're so red!" The blonde blurted. Axel frowned, all he could manage was to sit down defeated on the edge of the bed and watch the blonde laugh.

The redhead's cheeks never stopped turning redder and redder but he did manage to smirk, chuckling a little bit as well. He looked to the blonde and shrugged. "What can I say, they are comfortable." The blonde calmed his laughter to the best of his ability, face pink, and, to Axel's amusement, he began to hiccup. The redhead came to his side, patting the blonde's back as he hiccupped between laughs.

"Ax- el, I can't stop- laughing!" The blonde looked up at him, a bit teary eyed, with a smile splitting his face. He held his stomach again as he hiccupped loud, the redhead cringed for him, he was beginning to look in pain.

"Woah, woah, calm down blondie," Axel said starting to laugh himself. "It's not funny enough to die from suffocation." Roxas smiled, taking a deep breath and trying to steady himself.

He hiccupped again. "Ax- I've never- had the hiccups before!" Despite the pain he beamed at the other, and laughed more. "What do I do!" he blurted quick before covering his mouth and hiccupping. He laughed again. Axel's face contorted as he tried to keep himself from falling over from his own laughter.

"Uh, I think you can get rid of them if you hold your breath?" He suggested. With that the blonde sucked in a huge gulp of air and held it, his cheeks puffed out. It lasted all of two seconds before the next hiccup obliterated that and he laughed again.

"It didn't work." Roxas said looking to Axel.

"Try again!" The blond immediately suck in another gulp of air and held it, he hiccupped, not letting it out and Axel laughed at his face, "Hold it Roxas, hold it!" The blonde's eyes began to water from the need to laugh but he held it none the less till his face turned purple and Axel had to tell him that it was okay to breath. The blonde smiled up at him, trying to catch his breath. "Gone?" Axel asked with a smirk.

Roxas straightened up, waited a moment, and nodded his head. "Yup!"

There was a knock on their door that startled them both. Aerith peeked her head in, "Roxas when you're ready come out- oh." She eyed the redheaded doctor. "I didn't know you were in here Doctor. I'm sorry if I interrupted you. Roxas just needs to hurry before he is late to class."

"No Aerith we were just heading out. I have work I need to get to." She smiled, the blonde turn his head away pouting.

"Alright." She left the door open and headed back out to the room. Roxas looked up at the redhead.

"Well you can't expect them to pull you from class. You ran away, and its not like you're sick. Besides they probably still plan on punishing you." The redhead shrugged.

"Thanks for reminding me."

"Glad to help." Roxas rolled his eyes and walked off. Axel smirked and followed after. Roxas slumped into his seat and look at the redhead.

"Will I see you later?"

Axel thought that over for a moment. "I'll do what I can. Never know, Xemnas could suddenly get a bug up his ass and magically let me." Roxas scrunched his face disgusted and turned back around so that the redhead could only see a tuff of hair poking from behind the couch. Axel turned and opened the door, looking down the hallway. His ribs ached dully as a reminder. He took a deep breath and walked down the hall to his office. It had only been a short while, but he felt as if he hadn't been there in weeks. Going and sitting in his chair, he looked at the stack of papers from the past two days. He had no idea if he had any appointments. The redhead's laptop was left ajar from the days prior, dusty and uncharged. He took the cord from his top shelf and unraveled it, plugging it into the wall. He clicked it on, letting the screen load and entered his password. He logged onto his web share and checking the schedule. He had an hour to kill, which would go quick due to the need to file away the papers and clean up the office. The redhead walked back over to the door and flicked the lights on, then picked the papers up and sorted through them one at a time for completion.

"Any cases of diabetes, or heart disease in your family Miss. Vicario?" Axel asked looking up from his computers screen.

The blonde woman across the table smiled at him, "Yes, diabetes on my mothers side." Axel nodded and checked a box on his screen.

"Do you or have you in the past, smoked or used any recreational drugs." The woman flushed and shook her head quick. "Of course not."

The redhead chuckled at her. "Never know Ma'am, looks can be deceiving." He teased; bringing another embarrassed flush to the woman's face. The woman beside her laughed and jabbed her with her elbow playfully. Axel's eyes left the two women and he scanned down the page making sure he hadn't missed a thing. "Well since the both of you have had physicals, all I need you to do now is fill out the forms, you should have received them from the front desk."

"Oh," the brunette stirred, "I have those doctor." She said with a polite smile looking t him with her dark eyes, the blonde looked at the paper work and sighed.

"I still wish we could have selected a child with blue eyes."

The other female looked to her partner and nodded a , 'No', quick. "We are doing to much as it is. God needs to decide that part." Axel smiled and took the papers.

"I'll get these through as soon as possible. They don't take long to process, then one of our secretaries will call and notify you when we can take egg and skin samples. There was a visible cringe in both girls' faces, but the blonde nodded, standing; the brunette was getting her coat.

"Thank you doctor. She said with a kind smile. "This opportunity means the world to us." Axel stood as well, going round the table and extending a hand for her to shake.

"It's my pleasure ma'am. I'm here to help, especially two nice people like yourselves. I'm sure your child will have the best home imaginable." Both of them smiled sweetly, and Axel opened the door, standing and watching them go down the short distance to the lobby.

The redhead let out a yawn and receded back into his office. He looked around and then picked up the stack of forms to take to the lobby. That was his last appointment for the day, the clock was going on roughly four thirty and Axel let out an exasperated sigh. He still had to go up to labs one and two to check on a few of the tanks. He had successfully put about twenty Zygotes into the pregestianl tanks, but in a couple of cases those groups of cells had died off in the night. The redhead stepped into the elevator and clicked the button.

The dim lights over by the terminal illumined the room, there was a dull glow from the tank screens. Too much light and a developing infants eyes could cause blindness, an imperfection unfit for the world now a days. The redhead flipped the page on his clipboard, double checking the numbers of the tanks. He walked over, to his first tank, sitting down and peering in at the tiny group of cells that resembled something out of a strange science fiction movie. He leaned back in the rolling chair and looked over the screen of the tank, clicking a button to view the fetus' statistics. The glob was fine, physical examination clear, and it's life in the green. Axel moved down the list of tanks, taking his time since each life gave was, in a way, his child. He felt a pride in it as he gazed in at each little fetus floating in the tank. It brought back the memory of the first one, a smile, that firm hand patting his back, and his face pressed close against the warm glass to look at a tiny pink blob. It was so, "Perfect." Axel sat back in his seat. Looking over the last tank and checking one of the boxes at his seat. He smiled. "So perfect."

"H-hey Luxord?" Demyx said, looking around at the people on the street, he ran to catch up, grabbing onto the other's arm for security. "Are you sure we should be out here? I mean. We could get lost. I-I don't want them to get worried about us." The blonde faked a laugh.

"What, are you scared?" He said, voice low, heavy still with an accent.

Demyx grabbed onto the other tighter, nodding his head. "Yes, I am. I'm terrified. Now let's go back." The smaller blonde looked over his shoulder; their shop was whole city block down.

"Why are you so damn scared? If you want to be home then get your ass back there!" He never stopped walking.

"B-but I- I can't just- …" The taller male stopped dead in his tracks.

"Look here, I'm not doing this so you can have a field trip, this is serious. Now either you shut it, or I'll be ditchin' your sorry ass off on some street corner. Yah hear?" Demyx blinked at him. He frowned and nodded, taking his hand and pretending to zip his lips and toss the key. Luxord rolled his eyes. "I mean it."

They stopped at the corner by a bench. Demyx cautiously peered over his shoulder at the others at the stop. He had never once left the shop. His grip on Luxord tightened. A bus rolled to a stop, opening its doors. Demyx furrowed his brows watching everyone file in.

"Are we- Wait Luxord!?" The older man moved with the rest of the crowd, stepping onto the bus and paying the way for both of them. "L-Luxord." He stuttered, following him to a seat. "What are we doing again?" No answer. The blonde looked out of the window, the sky was darkening. It was nearing six. "Where are we going?" It was a whimper.

"Rouge," He said.

Demyx's brow furrowed. "What's that?"

"A Club." Luxord leaned back in the bus seat and closed his eyes. "They open at eight."

"It's seven." Demyx hunched over to prop his head up on a hand, supported by his knee. "What are we doing there anyways?"

"You will do nothing." The blonde said tiredly. "I'm playing cards."

"We're going all this way to play cards?"

Luxord brought a hand up and rubbed his temple for a moment before working out a calm answer, "I'm going to play cards. If I remember correctly you weren't invited. Go home if you want."

"Well I can't now," Demyx grumbled. The bus made a few stops, none of which Luxord made a move to get off at. The sky had darkened now, and the bus rolled to a stop at the corner of a street well lit by neon signs that decorated every building. Luxord stood, passing the few sleeping people that had no where better to be, Demyx close at his heels. They weaved in and out of the groups of people crowding the sidewalks. There was trash thrown about the ground, the smell of liquor and smoke crawling out from the bars onto the streets. The smell made Demyx's eyes water, he brought a hand up and wiped at them, about to insist on leaving once again when Luxord stopped. They were about halfway down the street in front of a square building that looked fairly new. Every building around him looked as if they stretched into the sky forever. He could only see a small patch of night, pitch black and starless.

"Nights are darkest in New York." A deep voice said. Demyx looked over, the man was holding open the large red door to the club. Luxord had stopped and was looking at the blonde. "Is he with you?" The man asked Luxord. He nodded. Demyx looked at the man nervously and darted to Luxord's side fast. Escaping the gaze of the man who gave a whistle as he looked over his backside.

"Stay close." Luxord said. Demyx's hands reached out and grabbed onto the blonde's arm tight. The music pounded moving the crowd of people to the rhythm. Luxord squeezed his way through the people, Demyx pushing through only due to the other's lead. It seemed like an endless sea of bodies all packed together, everyone talking, everyone moving. Demyx yelped as someone grinded their body against his as he tried to get through. Luxord found stairs and proceeded up them, the other stumbling behind him. It was less suffocating up on the rise. It was a lounge, individuals were seated at round booths looking out at the crowd of people. Beyond was a red door far at the end of the room. Luxord had his eyes set on the door, yanking Demyx and going forward. At the door Luxord gave a firm knock. It opened and a sly looking man veered his head out and looked the pair over. He was young, with tanned toned skin that stretched over high cheekbones. He ran a hand though his mess of poorly dyed pink hair and exhaled as if he was looking upon something that brought him immense pleasure.

"Luxord I presume?" His breath smelt like alcohol. The blonde gave a nod and the man's eyes went to the quivering blonde over his shoulder. He smirked and looked him over. "And he is?"

"With me." Luxord said. The pink male moved aside, letting the door open wider for the pair to pass. Luxord came in, met by the eyes of eight men seated at the table. The pink haired male sat down. There was an empty seat to the right of a man with long dreadlocks; Luxord exchanged with him a wad of cash for a pile of chips. Demyx wasn't offered a seat. He instead hung over the other's shoulder looking at the chips, reaching out for a white one. Luxord smacked at his hand. He moved from the table to the wall, pausing when realized that the wall behind him was not a wall at all but a window. He could still hear the thump of the bass from the club below, it rippled the glass as if a series of small sonic booms were hitting it. Demyx looked down at the club. The DJ was set up at the front, close to their room was a few tables sectioned off from the floor by a wall that was waist high. People passed in and out with drinks in hand. The rest was a sea of movement. There were a few stages that people were dancing on. The blonde watched as people were lifted on and off the mini stages, going back and joining their friends and getting up to impress a pair of eyes across the room. There was a chuckle from the table.

"Like what you see out there baby?" Demyx turned around; it was the pink haired man. "You have a sweet ass, why don't you shake it a little for us?" The man suggested, he placed a bet and looked up at Demyx. Luxord glared at the pink man and then back at his cards.

"Demyx," he said. His voice silenced the chuckles at the table. He moved to the side to retrieve his wallet from his pocket. "Why don't you go down to the bar and get us drinks. Light beer for me, why don't you try a martini." Demyx took the money looking down at it. He had never held money before and wasn't sure how it worked. He looked back up at the table, Luxord was already back to his cards, deciding if he should place a bet, the pink male's face scrunched up. The blonde just turned and walked out of the room, looking back at the others before venturing out. The volume of the club struck him as soon as he stood in the crowded area. People were standing at the edge of the railing looking out and conversing. Demyx shoved the money in his pocket and then went for the stairs across the way. Holding onto the railing he did his best to hold his ground between the people who pushed past him, making it to the bottom and looking around him for the bar. He found a crowded area, separated from the dance floor illuminated in blue light. Demyx clumsily approached, squeezing in between a couple at the bar who growled a rude remark at him. The blonde blushed but turned his attention to the bar tender.

"Excuse me?" it was hardly audible above the music. Demyx's face flushed; he raised his hand, waving it to grab the other's attention. "Hey, Sir?"

"Well look what we got ere'!" Demyx startled, looking over to his side where the voice came from. Sometime in the few seconds Demyx had been trying to snag the attention of the bar tender a man had slunk up to the counter, seated on the barstool next to him. Said man looked fairly tall though he was seated, leaning to the side against the counter, letting his head rest lazily against a hand. A few strands of silvering black hair hang down in his face; the rest was tied back in a ponytail. "Well aren't you a sexy little thing?" He gave a whistle, "Can I buy you a drink?" Demyx looked the man over.

"I um…" The blonde licked his lips. "I have to… get a drink for my friend."

"It's okay," the man laughed, leaning in. "Come one now. Don't be rude. I offered you a drink, now what do you say?"

The blonde paused, blinking, "Uh, well, um…"

"Say thank you." The man teased.

"T-thanks?" Demyx said. He stepped back, jumping as his back hit the stool behind him.

"Yo! Get me a Kamikazi and for the kid," He paused, "Tell im' what you want," He said smirking at the other.

Demyx climbed onto the barstool and looked at the man who was waiting. "Martini?" Bartender turned from him quickly and started to prepare the drinks.

"The name's Xigbar," He smiled, "And you?"

"Demyx," he said. The drinks were set down at the counter. Demyx looked over the drink and then picked it up and took a sip.

"So tell me about your self." Demyx looked at him, confused a moment, and then cleared his throat.

"What do you want to know?" he said, the music thumping in the background forced him to speak loud.

"Just about you. I haven't seen you around here, are you new?" The male grinned taking another drink.

"Something like that. It's my first time here. I'm with a friend," Demyx blurted.

"Where you from?"

Demyx faltered at this. He wasn't sure how to answer. "Well, I uh, am from," Just then the other cut him off with a wave of his hand, using the other to dig into his pocket. He pulled out a phone and opened it, bringing the devise to his ear.

"Well yah old coot' I was beginning to think you wouldn't call me back." Jeremy turned from him and stared down at his drink. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get your panties in a knot I'll be there. Mhm. Yeah." The man shut his phone and hopped off the barstool. "Well sorry to cut this meeting short but duty calls." He gave him a wolfish grin. He then pulled his wallet from his pocket and took out a card. "Here. You just so happen to be my type blondie. We could surely arrange a meeting. How bout my place? You could do me a favor and I could do you one in return." His voice was low as he gave the other a suggestive smirk. Demyx fidgeted at the other's proximity, confused at the suggestion. Xigbar took his hand and held it a moment, turning it over and placing his card in his palm. He winked at the other and left. Demyx downed his drink quickly and then flagged down the bartender and ordered the beer.

When he opened the red door, the men were still playing. Luxord leaned back in his seat. He had a smirk on his face while the others looked less than pleased at the multiple stacks of chips in front of him. Demyx walked over and set the other's drink on the table, earning a quick glance from his friend. The bidding went round again and the game came to a close. It was nearing three A.M. when Luxord smiled at the table of gamblers and stood, bidding them a good night. He exchanged his chips for cash with one of the men and went to collect Demxy, who had fallen asleep, propped up in the corner near the door. The blonde shook his companion who woke and then stumbled to his feet. They left, Luxord used a pay phone to call a cab. When they arrived at the shop Luxord went round to the back door, pulling out a piece of paper with their security code scribbled onto it. He helped the half-asleep boy up the steps and into their bed, helping him with his shoes and letting him crash. Luxord got into bed, brows furrowed. He had been thinking about it all night. The blonde looked to the smaller male, he was almost asleep.

"Demyx." He asked. The other's face twitched. "Demyx." He demanded.

The other startled and open his eyes, "Uh," He yawned, "Luxord I'm sleepy, later okay."

"I have something to ask you." His voice was flat.

"What is it?"

"Where did you go tonight? You went to get us drinks but you were gone for almost an hour."

The other blonde's brows knit together, "W…what?" The other brought his hand up to cover another yawn. "I… I got you a drink… what do you mean?"

"That's all? You were gone for so long I though you got into trouble I was going to go after you about when you came in."

The blonde thought a moment and then said, "Oh," It was long and drawn out. "Yeah, I remember now." His voice was sluggish. "I ran into some guy who insisted in getting me a drink. He wouldn't let me go. And then I had to talk to him." He thought a bit, "He gave me a paper…Said it was his card? I don't know what that means." His voice was trailing off as he drifted again.

"A card has personal information on it. Like phone numbers and stuff."

"Oh yeah… how do you… know all this stuff…"

Luxord smiled at him, "Television." The other was already gone, making a dopey face as he slept. Luxord pulled the blankets up to his neck and rolled over.


	22. Note

Dear readers…or people waiting to read…

Thanks so much for your support. I will not be posting again until I finish the story. Currently I am rereading and writing. I feel the story lacks plot, clear direction, and conflict. I will be removing the chapters that are up, editing them, and reposting at the end of this process. Please stand by.


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